KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Members of Missouri’s panel studying a potential Hyperloop route in the state came to Kansas City Tuesday, where they discussed what questions might not have been answered in a recent feasibility study and how the panel will get those answers to present them to the Missouri Legislature.
The public and private panel, which includes state lawmakers and engineering firms, is continuing to work to see whether a Hyperloop route in Missouri could someday allow people to travel between Kansas City and St. Louis in around 30 minutes.
The Missouri feasibility study, the first in the country, estimated the project could cost between $7 billion to $10 billion.
At the meeting Tuesday, which took place at Black & Veatch headquarters, panel members broke into groups centering on different topics. One group discussed what a public-private partnership would look like to pay for a Hyperloop route and how to keep the public updated. Another group asked what a research facility, such as a potential test track, would look like.
One group discussed regulation, including questions such as which agencies would have jurisdiction over a Hyperloop route. Another group spoke about the potential economic impact from the benefits of being first on a project like this and the “mega region” it could potentially create.
“Will this attract new employers to the region? Will this attract more people to the region? Because that is what could become a significant economic boom to Missouri,” said Ryan Weber, president of the KC Tech Council and a panel member. “That’s what we’re still trying to figure out. This is all new.”
One Kansas City resident who attended the meeting said she had questions of her own about the project.
“I am curious about cost on the consumer upfront,” Sylvie Radvinsky said. “That’s one of the things I wanted to find out.”
Soon, the panel also will take trips to Virgin Hyperloop One headquarters in Los Angeles and the company’s test site outside of Las Vegas.
Virgin Hyperloop One company officials say they are looking at building potential routes across the U.S. where pods travels in a tube at more than 600 miles per hour. They also have said Missouri’s proposed route is very competitive.
Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Jay Walder is coming to Kansas City next week for a public event moderated by 41 Action News Anchor Lindsay Shively. You can RSVP here.
