Shropshire MP sees future of travel by hyperloop

He has discovered that the government is investigating the potential for a futuristic 'hyperloop' transport system to be developed in the UK.

The Shrewsbury MP wrote to the Department for Transport seeking information about the prospect of developing the airline-speed tunnel-based mode of transport's technology in Britain.

And he was told by parliamentary under-secretary Paul Maynard that talks have already begun to establish whether such a system is feasible.

Mr Maynard said: "My department is in discussion with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport's Science Advisory Council to assess the potential for the development of hyperloop technologies in the UK.

"The Science Advisory Council intends to publish a paper on hyperloop in early 2017 setting out its position on the technical credibility of the concept and the opportunities it offers to UK industry given our technology and engineering expertise."

The hyperloop system offers speeds that the proposed HS2 can only dream of. Being developed by Tesla, PayPal and SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk, it would see pods suspended using magnets and fans shooting through tubes at speeds of up to 760mph.

Developers behind the project claim it would be energy-efficient and safe, with the tubes suspended above the ground or running underground to minimise the need for crossings.

The space-age concept is a long way away from becoming a reality, but Mr Musk has proposed that the initial plans could see the solar-powered system provide a faster and cheaper method than railways, and could link the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which are 380 miles apart, with a journey lasting only 30 minutes.

Passengers seated in cabins inside the capsules would experience slightly more than the force of gravity, more like on an aeroplane than a rollercoaster, Mr Musk claimed.

He estimated a trip would cost £13.