Twelve years after Elon Musk first introduced the Hyperloop concept, the so-called “train of the future” remains just that—a concept. Promised as a game-changing transportation system, it was supposed to propel passengers at 1,200 km/h through vacuum-sealed tubes, revolutionizing long-distance travel. Instead, what remains is a trail of broken promises, wasted investments, and mounting skepticism.
A Futuristic Dream That Never Arrived
When Musk first pitched the idea in 2013, governments and investors rushed to support the vision. From California to Europe, leaders imagined a world where cities would be connected in minutes rather than hours, with seamless, ultra-fast travel replacing traditional high-speed rail.
In France, the excitement led to the launch of three separate Hyperloop projects, with public funding flowing into research and development centers. The vision was ambitious—Lyon to Saint-Étienne in just eight minutes, Paris to Limoges in under 30 minutes, and Toulouse to Montpellier in 24 minutes. But years later, the reality is far from the promise.
Millions Invested, But No Train in Sight
Public and private funds poured into these initiatives, with:
- €15 million in research tax credits allocated in Occitanie
- €450,000 in subsidies from local governments
- €2 million from the European Regional Development Fund for a test site in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- €80 million raised in investments with participation from France’s national railway company (SNCF)
Yet, not a single passenger has ever been transported at Hyperloop’s promised speed of over 1,000 km/h. What remains are abandoned test tracks, empty promises, and mounting doubts about whether the project was ever meant to succeed in the first place.
Why the Hyperloop Was Destined to Fail
From an engineering standpoint, the flaws were obvious from the start. The Hyperloop requires:
- Perfectly straight, elevated tracks to maintain high speeds—an unrealistic demand in Europe’s densely populated, mountainous regions.
- Vast amounts of energy to maintain the vacuum inside the tubes.
- Extreme safety precautions, as a single breach in the system could cause catastrophic depressurization.
Environmentalists have also raised concerns that such a system would only serve major metropolitan hubs, further draining resources from smaller cities and rural areas. As one regional official put it, “Not only is it an environmental disaster, but it accelerates urban centralization at the expense of regional communities.”
A Convenient Distraction?
If Hyperloop was never feasible, why did Musk promote it so aggressively? Some believe the entire project was a brilliantly executed diversion.
According to biographer Ashlee Vance, Musk never intended to build Hyperloop at all. His real goal? To undermine the California High-Speed Rail project (CAHSR), a state-funded bullet train initiative. In his book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Vance cites Musk’s own words, stating:
“The idea came from his hatred of the California high-speed rail project. He introduced Hyperloop simply to make people and lawmakers question the bullet train—it was never meant to be built.”
If true, this means that Hyperloop wasn’t just a failed experiment—it was a strategic move to derail investment in competing infrastructure.
A Legacy of Broken Promises
While the California bullet train project still struggles to secure funding, Musk—now in charge of a government efficiency initiative—has shifted his focus to massive budget cuts. Ironically, the same arguments against CAHSR—high costs, delays, and unfulfilled promises—are now being used to justify slashing its funding.
Meanwhile, Hyperloop remains a ghost project, with test sites abandoned, deadlines pushed indefinitely, and investors losing confidence. The grand vision Musk sold to the world has ultimately led nowhere—except to another example of tech-driven hype overshadowing practical solutions.
For now, the Hyperloop hype train has stopped in its tracks. Whether it was a failed dream or a calculated hoax, one thing is clear: passengers are still waiting at the station, and the train isn’t coming.