Plans for 8 minute transport from Bratislava to Vienna

A deal between the company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and Slovakia to introduce the 700 mph tube-like transport into their systems has just been struck, with the first testing stages planned for 2020.

The Hyperloop transport system works by using a semi-vacuum tube to send small passenger pods down at high speeds, an idea originally thought up by Elon Musk, an entrepreneur who heads up Tesla Motors and SpaceX.

The idea was deliberately left open for others to develop by Musk and several companies are working on turning the concept into a reality.

This deal is the first time a project using this technology has been proposed outside the US, where a few companies are already exploring the idea.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies hope it could revolutionise transport in central Europe. As well as the eight minute train to Vienna, passengers would also be able to get from Bratislava to Budapest in just 18 minutes.

“A transportation system of this kind would redefine the concept of commuting and boost cross-border cooperation in Europe,” says Slovakian Finance Minister Vazil Hudak.