The Virgin Hyperloop made its first journey carrying passengers Sunday, in a test the company claimed represented a major step forward for the "groundbreaking" technology capable of transporting people at 1,000 kilometers an hour.
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The Hyperloop is intended to carry passengers in small pods through a vacuum tube, with proponents arguing it could revolutionize high-speed travel. | Above: A full-scale passenger Hyperloop capsule.
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Virgin says the Hyperloop will be able to reach top speeds of 1,080 kilometers an hour (671 mph) - projecting a 45-minute journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco - and will produce no carbon emissions. Above: The interior of a Virgin Hyperloop pod is seen at their DevLoop test site in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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But until Sunday the technology, first proposed by eccentric US tech magnate Elon Musk in 2012, had not been tested with people on board. | Above: The test track for a hyperloop pod in Moapa, Nevada.
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Two Virgin employees made the 500-meter journey in a two-person vehicle in just 15 seconds at a test site in the Nevada desert. | Above: Virgin Hyperloop executives Josh Giegel (left), its Chief Technology Officer, and Sara Luchian, Director of Passenger Experience are seen inside a Virgin Hyperloop pod during testing.
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Passenger Sara Luchian told the BBC she felt the trip was "exhilarating both psychologically and physically", and reported no discomfort. | Above: A view of the Virgin Hyperloop pod moving along a track at their DevLoop test site in Las Vegas.
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Once brought into regular use, the pods will be able to transport up to 28 people at a time, Virgin says, with larger models for moving goods also in development.
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Virgin's Hyperloop has raised more than $400 million, largely from company CEO Richard Branson and the logistics company DP World, which is owned by the Dubai government. Virgin is one of a number of companies working to develop the technology.
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"I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes," said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and Group Chairman and Chief Executive of DP World. | Above: The control room is seen during testing for the Virgin Hyperloop pod at their DevLoop test site.
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In a hyperloop system, which uses magnetic levitation to allow near-silent travel, a trip between New York and Washington would take just 30 minutes. That would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.
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The company has previously run over 400 tests without human passengers at the Nevada site. | Above: Artist's rendering of Virgin Hyperloop's forthcoming certification center and test track to be built in West Virginia.
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The test comes a month after it was first reported that Virgin Hyperloop picked the US state of West Virginia to host a $500 million certification center and test track that will serve as a proving ground for its technology.
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The company is working toward safety certification by 2025 and commercial operations by 2030, it has said.
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The test track for a hyperloop pod in Moapa, Nevada. Canada's Transpod and Spain's Zeleros also aim to upend traditional passenger and freight networks with similar technology they say will slash travel times, congestion and environmental harm linked with petroleum-fueled machines.
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