Hyper Chariot ‘super train’ could hit speed of 6500km/h, creators claim

THIS ‘super train’ would be able to travel at 6500km/h and take 10 minutes to get from Canberra to Melbourne. But it’s certainly a long way off.

An artist’s illustration of the Hyper Chariot, which is mimics Elon Musk’s famous Hyperloop design.

THE creators of a new “super train” called Hyper Chariot have claimed it will one day whisk passengers between London and the Scottish capital of Edinburgh in just eight minutes.

Such a trip is slightly shorter in distance than travelling from Canberra to Melbourne.

It will work by catapulting car-sized capsules through airless concrete tubes at five times the speed of sound.

The hypersonic public transport system looks like something from a sci-fi movie and could be fully operational by 2040, reports The Sun.

Hollywood actor Matthew Modine, president of Hyper Chariot, said: “With Hyper Chariot, we are aiming to bring nothing less than space travel on Earth, connecting cities and even countries in a way never before possible.

“It may seem like something out of science fiction but the technology is now available for travel through airless tubes at 6400km/ph to become not only a reality but a daily occurrence for passengers and cargo,” he said.

An artist’s illustration of the Hyper Chariot, which mimics Elon Musk’s famous Hyperloop design.

Hyper Chariot wants to bring space travel to Earth.

“It will also be the safest form of transport by far. Most injuries during travel are caused by human error or adverse weather conditions.

“Hyper Chariot is self-driving, monitored from a central command centre, and is contained within a tube so the infamous British weather can’t cause any disruptions.”

The incredible train will be able to accelerate from 0 to 1600km/h in just 60 seconds.

It’s hoped the ‘super train’ will begin operations in just over 20 years.

A spokesman for Hyper Chariot said tickets for the eight-minute journey would be “highly competitive”, with fares for London to Edinburgh costing around £100 ($A167).

The same 534 kilometre journey would take more than seven hours by car, at least four by train, and 70 minutes by plane.

The ultra-powerful electric linear motors which rocket the hyper-chariot to record-breaking speeds, provide nearly double the sensation of acceleration as a Boeing 747.

Modine, who featured in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things, said: “Transport technology has stagnated since the turn of the 20th century, with the invention of the automobile and plane.”

“For decades, we have been waiting for the next revolution. The automation of transportation is the future, but not just through self-driving cars, which will still face the same problems of congestion and environmental pollution that we see today.”

Matthew Modine, the Hollywood star who is also president of the firm that’s planning Hyper Chariot. Picture: Chris Pizzello

The Hyper Chariot team claim it will be both the safest and environmentally friendly mode of passenger-transport available.

The super fast train can be 100 per cent solar-powered, produce zero emissions and is claimed to be safer than any other form of mechanised transportation, including riding a bicycle.

One drawback for passengers is that they will have to hold on for the whole eight minutes because the Hyper Chariot will not be fitted with a toilet.

The “rail gun” technology is not new and its hypersonic speed capabilities were demonstrated in military tests during the 1980s.

The idea of travelling at hypersonic speeds in a capsule shot through a depressurised tube was first mooted by inventor Alfred Beach in the 19th Century.

But the prospect became a reality in the late 1990s when American engineer and inventor Daryl Oster was issued his first patent.

The super train won’t come with a toilet, which shouldn’t be a problem because you won’t be on it for very long

The small car-sized capsules can only carry a few passengers at a time.

It will take three minutes and 160 kilometres for the pods to reach their top speed of 6500km/h, and a similar time and distance to decelerate.

Passengers will experience relatively small G-Forces but will be unable to stand for the duration of their trip because of the F1 car-like seating positions.

Each limo-sized pod is pilotless, but the user has the ability to control the vehicle’s destination in much the same way as operating a car’s satellite navigation system.

Individual pods will be able to interchange like cars on a motorway, allowing the passengers to travel to different destinations with ease.

Passengers will also have full control of the pod’s interior lighting and ambient temperature, and will even be able to choose the “outside view” they enjoy thanks to augmented-reality windows.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.