Missouri loses bid for $500m hyperloop project

The state of Missouri has lost its bid for a $500 million hyperloop project. It’s the high-speed transportation concept by Virgin Hyperloop One that uses enclosed pods to zip passengers underground at over 600 mph. Virgin has instead chosen West Virginia for the certification center and test track.

Missouri had hoped to land the project for an ultrafast Hyperloop track that would transport passengers between St. Louis and Kansas City in 30 minutes. Governor Mike Parson signed a new law this year to keep state road funds away from the project, keep the project away from I-70’s right of way, and ban the use of eminent domain to build it. Lieutenant Gov. Mike Kehoe led the team for a study and proposal to Virgin.

The company had received bids from more than a dozen states in the past year to build a 6-mile testing track and other safety facilities over hundreds of acres for the electromagnetic levitation transportation technology.

Hyperloop technology, which Tesla founder Elon Musk is also developing, hopes to one day provide clean-energy fast travel across the country. Certification for commercial travel is still expected to be at least a decade away.

West Virginia and Virgin officials said the new center will bring thousands of temporary construction jobs to a state that has witnessed economic decline with the downturn of the coal industry. The facility will employ up to 200 full-time workers when completed.

Missourinet and The Associated Press contributed to this report