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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

You'd better get that in writing [npr.org]:

A plan to build an ultrafast Hyperloop One tube train has been given "verbal [government] approval" to connect large cities on the East Coast, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk says [twitter.com]. He adds that the system would whisk passengers from New York to Washington, D.C., in 29 minutes.

After his tweet about the plan set off intense interest, Musk added a clarification [twitter.com], stating, "Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly."

We're seeking more details from Musk and his companies that are involved in the Hyperloop project — from the vehicle unit to the Boring Co., which would dig the tunnels. He did not specify, for instance, which agency had given its approval or when construction might begin.

Engineers who are working on the project have the goal of sending pods through a tube at speeds of more than 700 mph, using magnetic levitation and an electric motor in a vacuum environment.

The Boring Company's [wikipedia.org] mundane tunneling plans may have been a red herring to distract from underground Hyperloop development.

Is this how Muskmania dies? With an undeliverable promise of multi-billion dollar infrastructure? Or will Musk deliver a transportation system faster than the highest-speed rail, create the world's most valuable car company [nextbigfuture.com], and build a Hyperloop on Mars designed to transport him from the ice caps to his throne (crafted from the disinterred bones [mercurynews.com] of Steve Jobs) at Olympus Mons [wikipedia.org]?

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