How to make Durham-to-Chapel Hill a 10-minute commute? Think hyperloop

CARY – Imagine a time when your commute from Durham to Chapel Hill could be under 10 minutes.

It might sound like fantasy. But according to a recent study examining the potential for a future “hyperloop” system in the Triangle, it could become a reality.

“As cities across the country face increasing transportation challenges, such as extreme traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, long commute times and more, hyperloop provides an answer that can transform transportation and put the U.S. ahead of the pack in innovation and create thousands of jobs,” Ryan Kelly, a top exec at Virgin Hyperloop One, Richard Branson’s transportation tech company that is working to commercialize the high-speed concept called the Hyperloop, tells WRAL TechWire.

Q&A: Virgin Hyperloop exec talks future of transportation (think pods) in Triangle (+ video)

A pre-feasibility analysis conducted by AECOM, a multinational engineering firm, has identified example hyperloop corridors that could seamlessly connect Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and RDU International Airport near RTP.

In case you haven’t heard already, Virgin Hyperloop One’s technology features depressurized tubes that carry on-demand passenger or cargo “pods” at speeds up to 670 miles per hour, powered by magnetic-levitation.

On Friday, some 200 business leaders gathered to discuss the possibility of such a platform at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. Sponsored by Regional Transportation Alliance, other participants included the N.C. Department of Transportation, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority and MetLife.

“North Carolina Research Triangle — home to some of the country’s top companies, universities and healthcare centers — is an absolute prime location to examine hyperloop technology,” said Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One, in a statement. ” There is a tremendous opportunity to further connect these regional anchors and link North Carolina’s capital area with markets to the south and the northeast using a more efficient, sustainable, and reliable form of passenger and cargo transportation. Eyes are on North Carolina as it takes this important step forward in amplifying its vision for what 21st-century transportation can be.”

Located outside of Las Vegas in Nevada, Virgin Hyperloop One has completed hundreds of test runs to date.

Access points

According to its North Carolina study, the introduction of a hyperloop system alongside area freeways including I-40 and NC 147 could generate significant economic and quality of life advantages for the region and for North Carolina, reducing travel time and improving road safety.

Research Triangle hyperloop portal (station) access points might include:

Downtown Raleigh/North Carolina State University area
Downtown Durham/Duke University area
Downtown Chapel Hill/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill area
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)/Research Triangle Park area

“The Research Triangle area is uniquely positioned from a technology focus, spatial layout, and favorable mid-east coast location to benefit from a hyperloop travel solution that could quickly link America’s R&D cities of Raleigh and Durham with each other and with neighboring regions in the southeast and mid-Atlantic,” Joe Milazzo II, PE, Regional Transportation Alliance’s executive director said in a statement.

To find out more, go to WRAL’s Brian Shrader’s report here.