Denver, Colorado, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virgin Hyperloop One, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and AECOM, have announced they are advancing to the second half of the Rocky Mountain Hyperloop feasibility study. Late last year, CDOT and Virgin Hyperloop One, working with AECOM, kicked off the hyperloop study, which will examine the technological and economic feasibility of a hyperloop transportation system in Colorado, based on an initial concept presented to Virgin Hyperloop One by CDOT and AECOM in 2016.





"The partnership between Virgin Hyperloop One and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is an exciting one" said Amy Ford, Chief of Advanced Mobility for the Colorado Department of Transportation. "We have received some very positive feedback from interested Colorado stakeholders during and following our outreach event. To me it's apparent that Colorado citizens are interested in the safety and mobility benefits a hyperloop system could bring to Colorado."

The study has developed an initial design concept for first hyperloop portal (station) located near the Denver International Airport at 72nd and Himalaya. The study will analyze multiple potential alignments to link this central point of connectivity across the Front Range as well as the mountain resorts.

“Colorado has it all, from booming sectors in aerospace, technology and renewable energy to the Rockies’ natural splendor,” said Rob Lloyd, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One. “With so many drawn to the state, hyperloop will enable efficient, fast, effortless connections that link Coloradans across city limits to work, live, and play.”

Hyperloop is a new ultra-high-speed mode of transportation that moves freight and people quickly, safely, on-demand and direct from origin to destination. Hyperloop will complement existing forms of transportation and will integrate seamlessly with the transport ecosystem. In a hyperloop, passengers or cargo pods accelerate gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The pod quickly lifts above the track using magnetic levitation and glides at airline speeds for long distances due to ultra-low aerodynamic drag. Last year, Virgin Hyperloop One set a historic test speed record of nearly 240 miles per hour (387 kilometers per hour, 107 meters per second) during its third phase of testing at DevLoop, the world’s first full-system hyperloop test site located in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

The hyperloop will differ from other fixed guideway modes of transportation by offering on-demand solutions and no fixed schedule. Passengers will be able to depart as soon as they arrive. The system will be dynamic with the ability to deploy pods based on up-to-the-second data points that continually optimize departures and arrivals. The hyperloop portal will also integrate seamlessly with existing transportation modes like the RTD A line.

Virgin Hyperloop One, in partnership with AECOM, released an architectural rendering of the portal, located at the Denver International Airport, which features a public gathering plaza as well as subterranean, green-roof infrastructure that integrates into the landscape and emerging smart city developments.

“Through our partnership with Virgin Hyperloop One and the Colorado Department of Transportation, we are defining the next generation of infrastructure and transportation systems to addresses the shifting way people and freight need to move,” said Travis Boone, an Executive Vice President at AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm. “The Rocky Mountain Hyperloop showcases how we imagine, partner, and innovate to help define mobility of the future.”

In addition to technical and economic aspects, the study will offer multiple opportunities for additional partners and stakeholders, such as local governments, businesses, and community groups to become part of this venture and to help make hyperloop a reality in Colorado.

About Rocky Mountain Hyperloop

Rocky Mountain Hyperloop is one of Virgin Hyperloop One’s ten Global Challenge finalists working in partnership with Virgin Hyperloop One to make hyperloop a reality. The proposal for connecting the Colorado Front Range garnered support from institutions throughout Colorado including CDOT, the City and County of Denver, Denver International Airport, the City of Greeley, AECOM and other public and private institutions.

About Virgin Hyperloop One

Virgin Hyperloop One is the only company in the world that has built a fully operational hyperloop system. Our team has the world's leading experts in engineering, technology, and transport project delivery, working in tandem with global partners and investors to make hyperloop a reality, now. Virgin Hyperloop One is backed by key investors including DP World, Caspian VC Partners, Virgin Group, Sherpa Capital, Abu Dhabi Capital Group, SNCF, GE Ventures, Formation 8, 137 Ventures, WTI, among others. For more information, visit www.virginhyperloopone.com.



About AECOM:

AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18.2 billion during fiscal year 2017. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

About Colorado’s RoadX

RoadX is CDOT’s bold vision and commitment to being a national leader in using innovative technology and partnerships to create travel in Colorado that’s free of crashes, injuries and delays. To learn more about this rapid, fast-paced venture to transform our aging transportation system, visit roadx.codot.gov.



Media Contacts

FTI Consulting

Antonia Gray

Director, TMT Americas

Strategic Communications

antonia.gray@fticonsulting.com

+1 (347) 574-4352

Virgin Hyperloop One

Ryan Kelly

Head of Marketing and Communications

press@hyperloop-one.com

+1-610-442-1896

AECOM

Jason Marshall

Senior Director, Public Relations

D +1-646-432-8474

M +1-646-420-1796

jason.marshall@aecom.com





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