In the largest urban area in the Netherlands, between Rotterdam and Amsterdam, a pilot route is being explored that would be a first step in creating a pan-European emission-free hyperloop network. The preconditions and effects of a hyperloop connection for freight between important and volume-intensive nodes in the provinces of North and South Holland are being investigated by an extensive coalition of (inter) national companies, governments and network organizations, as laid down in a covenant earlier this week. The aim is for the study to identify similar challenges and provide solutions for urban areas elsewhere in Europe, paving the way for investment in hyperloop infrastructure across the continent. Such a network would make it possible to ship goods across Europe in hours instead of days, while a global network would cut transport times to just a few days.

The parties participating in this study are part of or are involved in the largest export industries in the Netherlands. The focus is on the busiest domestic / national freight corridor between the cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Connecting producers, traders, buyers and logistics nodes on this corridor with a hyperloop offers the potential to drastically reduce transport with existing modalities and significantly increase the speed and reliability of the delivery. This would mean a gross reduction in maintenance costs for existing infrastructure and alleviate the congestion problem. A significant improvement of the air quality in the densely populated area could also be achieved by reducing CO2 emissions. The latter would be a major step for the transport sector in realizing its ambitions to achieve the goals of the climate agreement.

Walther Ploos van Amstel, economist and lecturer in urban logistics at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences: “The hyperloop is a 'game changer' for transport, just like the container in the 60s of the last century. The competitiveness of regions will change. The Netherlands must now benefit from this as the logistics mainport of Europe. ” 

A first commercial hyperloop application
The active involvement of these parties takes place under the banner of the Hyperloop Development Program (HDP), a public-private partnership for the development of hyperloop announced in late 2020. The HDP is financially supported by the Dutch government and focuses on the development of hyperloop, as a new sustainable mode of transport, for both passengers and cargo. Identifying and exploring the potential of the first freight routes is the first of many activities. A cargo hyperloop system requires a smaller-scale infrastructure than the passenger system and will soon be tested at the European Hyperloop Center in the Dutch province of Groningen. After completion of these tests, the system is ready for commercial operation.

A freight hyperloop can offer major benefits for the fruit and vegetable industry, which accounts for a significant part of Dutch exports. “This collaboration is an important step in the development of this new modality for goods, with which we can deliver faster and with higher capacity at a lower cost. We can transport goods at a speed that is very competitive with trucks, with more frequent and smaller shipments. Because the system works autonomously and integrally, the capacity can be adjusted on-demand with platooning, "says Rik Roeske, project leader of the cargo hyperloop," of course, this does not only apply to Dutch industry. Many other markets, such as e-commerce and pharma worldwide, are also benefiting from the hyperloop. ” 

Joint feasibility study
The study covers topics such as product requirements, integration, socio-economic costs and benefits and operation and maintenance and the decision-making process for possible next steps and will be completed by mid-2022. The participating parties all bring with them valuable experience, knowledge and data required to assess the feasibility of a hyperloop freight system. Hardt reports this on them website.

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Photo below: Image bank Hardt.global

Also read: Will Hyperloop become a sustainable transport of the future?

Hyperloop integration
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