Dutch firm moving forward with plans for Rotterdam to Berlin hyperloop

Hardt Hyperloop is committed to having a hyperloop running from Rotterdam to Berlin by 2050. The trip would take 1 hour and 40 minutes, with zero CO2 emissions. If all goes according to plan, the first real piece of Hyperloop will be operational in Rotterdam by 2030, Hardt Hyperloop co-founder Tim Houter said.

Hardt Hyperloop recently set up shop in the Rotterdam Makers District. Since establishing the startup founded from TU Delft in 2017, Hardt Hyperloop has grown from four founders to a company of almost 50 people. All of them are committed to making this world-changing idea, which they’ve tested successfully multiple times, work in practice.

“The hyperloop allows people and goods to be transported through a low-pressure tube by a vacuum train. The means of transport are magnetically driven. This ensures lighting-fast and completely CO2-free transport,” Houter explained the concept. “Eventually, the hyperloop will allow you to travel across Europe as if it were one big, interconnected region. In a fraction of the time and energy consumption it takes now.”

The hyperloop not only opens up a world of travel possibilities for people but is also very interesting for goods transport - something the port of Rotterdam is really interested in. Goods transport is expected to increase by a factor of 2.5 by 2050. And finding a cleaner and faster way to move these products is crucial to keep the port flowing.

Houter hopes to let the public try out the first real piece of hyperloop in Rotterdam in 2030. Though where and how that will happen is still up in the air. The company is receiving support from governments and organizations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Europe. “The cooperation with the municipality of Rotterdam is a very important one in this. Rotterdam has the chance to start the roll-out. Everyone in the world who wants to see how the hyperloop works will come here to try it out,” Houter said.

In the meantime, people interested in how the hyperloop works can go to one of Hardt Hyperloop’s open days in its Experience Center or at its 30-meter test setup at the Future Mobility park.

“In the experience center, we familiarize visitors with the hyperloop at a glance. We plan to open the experience center to the public a few times a year,” Houter said. “The test setup allows us to demonstrate the entire concept of the technology. This makes a huge impact because it allows us to show that the technology really works. And that the hyperloop is way past the stage of an idea.”