The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (Ministerio de Fomento) is negotiating its involvement in the Hyperloop project, developed by Virgin Group, after Elson Musk, the CEO of Tesla, initially launched the idea. The objective of this project is the construction of freight and passenger trains, which can run at 1,200 km / h reduced-pressure sealed tubes.
The government in Madrid has expressed its desire to be among the first hosts of this experiment to give impetus to the development of railway technology after a long period without innovations and investments, caused in particular by the financial crisis of 2008-2014. Spain has several high-performance rail test centers, the centre in the city of Malaga being considered the most suitable if negotiations are successful.
Elon Musk launched the first study in 2013 for this revolutionary idea, the project began to be developed in 2014 with the help of private donations. Thus, pressurized capsules run on air cushions driven by linear induction motors and air compressors. The first prototype is currently being built in California, and the first service will be launched for passenger transport between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In addition, freight and passenger services will be launched in France and the Netherlands, which will connect Paris to Amsterdam.
The cost of freight transport services will be much higher than those for passenger transport services due to the use of large-capacity vacuum interrupters. Spain was one of the top countries to develop low-cost high-speed rail technology by the 1990s, relying on the expertise of rolling stock manufacturers such as CAF and Talgo. However, the growing competition on the global market, as well as the reduced support from the Spanish Government, have led to the decline of Spain’s share of the international high-speed rail technology market.
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