Hyperloop Dies, and With It the Dreams of 2 Missouri Governors

And so ends Missouri's latest adventure in science fiction

Dec 30, 2023 at 7:10 am

Remember this guy and his Hyperloop dreams? SCREENSHOT FROM THIS VIDEO

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This column was first published on Ray Hartmann's St. Louis Insider.

The Hyperloop is dead.

Hyperloop One, formerly Virgin Hyperloop, announced it will be selling off its assets and shutting down operations by year’s end, Bloomberg reported last week. This effectively ends the dream that had captivated Missouri officials in 2017 – and since – with its promise to whisk people from St. Louis to Kansas City in 23 minutes.

In tubes.

As far as I can tell, the demise of the Hyperloop hasn’t received a whisper of local coverage, which is understandable. This chapter of state history is best left to the historians if they have the stomach for it.

Remember when Gov. Eric Greitens proclaimed that the Hyperloop would be pivotal to luring Amazon’s giant new headquarters to the state? I didn’t think you did. Or maybe you just would rather forget.

And how about Gov. Mike Parson’s blue-ribbon panel or the University of Missouri’s partnership with Virgin Hyperloop and a major engineering firm from Kansas City? Perhaps most painfully, do you recall when Missouri was the semi-finalist for a test track for Hyperloop and state officials had to utter the six most humiliating words ever?

“We lost out to West Virginia.”

It’s no consolation that West Virginia didn’t get that test track. Nor that some $450 million in venture capital funds and other investments were raised for naught by the company, according to The Verge, a tech website.

None of that minimizes the fact that Missouri was once all in for Hyperloop. That’s not to be confused with part of the way in. Also, this wasn’t ancient history.

If you are less than seven years old, it was in your lifetime that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a Friday newspaper with this as the front-page, lead story:

“Missouri banking on futuristic tube travel in a bid for Amazon HQ2.”

Yes, in another eminently forgettable moment, Missouri was among the states groveling shamelessly in 2017 during Amazon’s sadistic corporate welfare auction for the honor of hosting its second headquarters. And Hyperloop was our secret weapon. (To be fair, the Post did qualify it as “a futuristic and largely unproven people-mover.”)

Still, it was right there in the top news story of October 20, 2017:

“Greitens is telling Amazon it could have both cities (St. Louis and Kansas City) – plus a sprinkling of Columbia – if the company chooses a Missouri location for its second headquarters.

“The Greitens administration says connecting two via (the Hyperloop) could serve as the catalyst for the online retailer to put a Missouri location on its list.”

Hey, Amazon, our two largest cities may seem 250 miles apart, but in these parts that’s just 23 minutes by tube. Sadly, this wasn’t satire. There was even this quote on behalf of Greitens, who was tying things up elsewhere.

“We actually think this is something that deserves serious consideration. It’s the kind of thing that would fit with Amazon’s bold thinking,” said Drew Erdmann, who serves as Greitens’ chief operating officer. “We’re just challenging Amazon to think in a new way.”

Yes, I suspect Amazon thought of us in a new way.

But while we’re on the subject of monstrous billionaires, there is one element of the Hyperloop story that has a silver lining. It turns out that Elon Musk will welcome this news like it was an invitation to Seder.

Here’s how the Verge described how Musk got the Hyperloop ball rolling with his so-called “alpha paper” in 2013.

“Musk theorized that aerodynamic aluminum capsules filled with passengers or cargo could be propelled through a nearly airless tube at speeds of up to 760 mph. These tubes, either raised on pylons or sunk beneath the earth, could be built either within or between cities. He called it a 'fifth mode of transportation' and argued it could help change the way we live, work, trade and travel.”

As far as I’m concerned anything bad for Musk is good. On the other hand, being from Missouri, I suppose I should keep my head down on this one.

Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times. Read his insights by subscribing to Ray Hartmann's St. Louis Insider on Substack.