PUEBLO — The founders of travel innovation company Swisspod have a bold vision for the future of mass transit.
It is called Hyperloop.
A patented self-propelled pod traveling through a tube with air pressure removed.
“It's fully contactless. So…we have no wheels, we have like everything is going to levitate inside, we have no pressure, so there is no contact with the air or with a rail. So it's like running in space, literally like running in space,” said Swisspod Co-founder, Denis Tudor.
Pueblo, Colorado is an essential part of turning innovation into reality.
It is where the first segment of a testing facility now offers a tangible look at what is ahead for the first of its kind project.
“This is going to be something that has never been tested before. We're looking to have like a unique technology running, like a contactless propulsion system, which hasn't been really tested before in this country,” said Tudor.
Picture a ten-minute trip from Pueblo to Denver, or Denver to New York in just over 90 minutes.
Pueblo community leaders see it also generating attention and interest to the area from other businesses.
“I think that this is going to help put Pueblo on the map. You know, we're out here at PuebloPlex, and we have lots of room for economic development and growth at PuebloPlex,” said Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham.
Pueblo is an important element of a fast-track plan coming together for the new kind of reliable high speed travel.
“I think that's going to be exciting. I cannot wait to be inside of the tube running at high speed, so I'll be the first passenger running inside the tube,” said Tudor.
The current timeline is to introduce a pod by November of 2025 and start testing around the same time.
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