Construction on a test track for Elon Musk’s futuristic Hyperloop system is set to start this year.

Work on the five-mile track is set to start before the end of June and will be carried out by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), one of two startups working on the project.

SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk first proposed the Hyperloop high-speed transportation system in 2013.

Eventually it is hoped that passengers and cargo will be transported in pods via vacuum tubes, at speeds of up to 800mph.

The new test track is set to be built in Quay Valley, California, a proposed solar-powered community between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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It is hoped that the Hyperloop will eventually enable passengers to travel between cities in record time (Yahoo/Verge)

While the new construction is referred to as a test track, the plan is that it will eventually become the first section of a functioning nationwide transport network.

The intention is also for Quay Valley to use the test track as its main transport system.

While the techie transport system is set to eventually transport passengers faster than the speed of sound, construction costs are relatively low compared to other existing railway projects, says HTT.

The other startup working on Hyperloop, and named Hyperloop Technologies, is set to build its own test track in the California desert.

Image credit: Yahoo/Verge