Like the Invisible Hand of Laissez-faire Capitalism? 
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Yeah, it’s got a lot of pickup, but what about the cigarette lighter?
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The car pushes the vacuum along with it, silly.
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I agree, finding the coolest, most complex solution is seldom the best solution. If the comparison to space exploration is to be made, comparing the hyperloop to “all of space travel” is a category error. If anything the hyperloop could be compared to the shuttle program. An overly complex, overly expensive system that existing technology does cheaper and more reliably. The shuttle wasted a lot of time, energy, money and infrastructure based on a narrow set of advantages and a sexy sales package…
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I am not a conspiracy theorist, but it would be a master stroke to farm out design to engineering students to get a working prototype, convince some city or state to invest in one, then say, you know, we really should put this thing below ground, and then be the only one able to drill the needed tunnel.
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So technically, this is the Boring conspiracy theory.
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Just replace “monorail” with “hyperloop”
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Wait. Do you have less purile moments?
Edit: Wink emoji added for clarity of intent.
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At least THEY have a window.
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I looked at the hyperloop proposal when it came out, and I find it feasible, in my very-extremely-not-humble opinion. But even if I didn’t, I would not bet against Elon Musk. He’s already beaten the odds enough times to be considered an anomaly for wagering purposes.
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This. The problem of freight and passenger services running on the same track even goes beyond Amtrak needing to stop for freight trains, it directly affects the cornering speeds of the passenger services. Freight trains usually (in the US) go quite slow while being very heavy, and the tracks need to have low superelevation to accommodate them. Fast passenger services need high cornering speeds, which thus need tracks with high cant.
Tl;dr: Amtrack trains are not only slow because they need to stop for freight trains, but also because the tracks are not built for speed.
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The whole purpose of the original idea was to shuttle high-paid tech workers in and out of Silicon Valley without them having to ride buses or drive cars. The capacity is very limited, and the operating costs would be very high, so it would be a plaything of the wealthy. It would also probably allow Silicon Valley to destroy yet more housing markets in California.
No, no, it isn’t. It has multiple engineering issues. To get some ideas, watch the video linked by Sigmund. Maintaining a 99% vacuum at the proposed scale is just not feasible.
Pressor beam, not pressure beam, goldingitydamnit.
At least they didn’t say reverse tractor beam, I guess.
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