The Hyperloop One is making its first stop in Marysville this week.
As part of a national roadshow, Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) is bringing its XP-1 Hyperloop vehicle to Marysville. The pod will be on display from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Tuesday at the city’s Partners Park, 125 E. Sixth Street, Marysville.
“We are excited about this opportunity,” said Marysville Mayor J.R. Rausch.
Officials said the Hyperloop system works by removing most of the air inside a miles-long tube and accelerating a levitated vehicle through that tube. Hyperloop officials say the vehicle can “glide quietly at airline speeds for long distances.”
Officials have likened the technology to the tube system at a bank drive thru or pharmacy.
Marysville City Manager Terry Emery said this could be the first of many stops locally.
Initially, the Hyperloop plan to connect Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh via the high-speed tube did not include a stop in Marysville. Emery said there has been discussions that could add a stop locally.
“There will be a potential stop off here — how often and the frequency are unknown, but there will be potentially an opportunity,” Emery said.
In 2017, the Pittsburgh to Chicago route was named as one of 10 winning courses. According to the proposal, the tube system would connect Columbus to both Chicago, a ride of about 24 minutes, and Pittsburgh, within 20 minutes.
The proposal, Midwest Connect, was one of more than 2,600 registrations selected from more than 100 countries.
Emery said that while the project is exciting, it is “potentially 10, 15 years down the road.”
“A lot of it has yet to be determined and can happen in 10 years,” Emery said. “The nice thing is we are on the path of it all, which I think is important.”
The XP-1 Hyperloop pod will be on display today at The Ohio Statehouse, then in Dublin, Marysville and Lima Tuesday. Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Jay Walder will meet with legislative officials and business leaders at the statehouse today to share information about Hyperloop technology and the Central Ohio planning and feasibility studies taking place.
Selection of the Midwest Connect proposal by Hyperloop One does not provide funds for construction. As part of further planning for the corridor, potential costs and public private partnership financing strategies will be evaluated.
In announcing the Marysville stop, Hyperloop One officials said “The roadshow will give local communities the chance to see first-hand the historic test pod and learn more about their states’ progress in bringing Hyperloop to reality in a matter of years.”
While an exact path is not defined, the plan calls for the Hyperloop tube to be built on the same route as a proposed high-speed passenger rail system proposed for the area, which also includes a stop in Marysville.
“This is an exciting time,” Emery said. “We have an opportunity to have these transportation options coming through and stopping in our community.”
Emery added, “this continues to put Marysville on the map for various forms of transportation, now and moving into the future.”
Officials said planning for the Hyperloop project and the high-speed passenger rail project could help each other.
In its announcement of winning routes, Hyperloop One noted the Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh route was selected for its, “strong public/private stakeholder involvement across multiple states and its unique implementation of Hyperloop technologies to solve the lack of infrastructure in the region.”
Hyperloop officials said connecting Pittsburgh, Columbus and Chicago would create, “a Midwest megaregion to rival the country’s coastal economic powerhouses.”