Hyperloop, the transport system that promises speeds of 1,200 km/h.

Elon Musk spent years betting on technologies that seemed far ahead of their time—reusable rockets, self-driving cars, humanoid robots, and an idea so ambitious that, for a while, it appeared he had abandoned it. Yet now he is back, and not just to talk about the project; he has stated that his company is working on a system capable of connecting two major cities at speeds exceeding 320 km/h, cutting a journey that can take hours down to less than 30 minutes. Most interestingly, he chose a very specific word to describe what is being developed: Hyperloop.

Then there is the Hyperloop—the system Musk unveiled over a decade ago promising to transport people at extremely high speeds through tubes. After years of prototypes, companies, tests, and promises, it had all but faded from the spotlight; however, things have changed. On September 20, Musk stated that The Boring Company is working on a simple precursor to the Hyperloop connecting Austin and San Antonio, Texas—a system that, according to him, would exceed speeds of 200 miles per hour (approximately 322 km/h).

And a trip that can take up to two and a half hours during the worst traffic jams would be reduced to less than 30 minutes. Shortly thereafter, something even more interesting happened: The Boring Company itself publicly responded, stating it would be excited and honored to build that massive structure. However, a social media post could still be nothing more than an ambitious idea—except there is another clue: The Boring Company is looking for a professional to fill a very specific role—Hyperloop Operations Manager—and it is not a generic opening.

The description states that the company is actively evaluating a Hyperloop precursor between Austin and San Antonio, and the hired professional will be required to participate in operational planning, collaborate with engineers and authorities, and oversee what the company itself describes as the potential construction and operation of the Hyperloop in Texas. In other words, this goes beyond merely reviving an old concept or a past announcement; there is a company evaluating the project, a route under consideration, a defined speed, and even a specific hiring process linked to its potential construction and operation.

This brings us to the question many people are likely asking: has construction on the Hyperloop actually begun? At the moment, there is no public evidence that work on the connection has started; nor have a definitive route, station locations, budget, or construction timeline been released. This distinction is important because there is a vast difference between evaluating a project and actually beginning to build it. However, it would be incorrect to say that nothing has happened, as there is another detail that sets this latest development apart.

The Boring Company is not the same company that existed when Elon Musk first began talking about digging vast underground networks; it has already built tunnels and currently operates an actual transportation system in Las Vegas. Admittedly, this is still a far cry from a Hyperloop—the vehicles still use wheels, there is no low-pressure tube, and speeds are incomparably lower—but Elon Musk now possesses something he lacked when he first introduced the Hyperloop to the world: a company specializing in tunnel construction and transporting people within them.

Perhaps that also explains a word in Musk's statement that could easily go unnoticed: he did not say the Boring Company is building the full Hyperloop; instead, he called the project a precursor to the Hyperloop—a distinction that could be fundamental. Rather than starting by attempting to reach the extreme speeds envisioned in the original concept, the idea would be to first create something simpler—capable of exceeding 320 km/h and connecting two actual cities. If that were to work, it would serve as an intermediate step between the tunnels The Boring Company is already capable of building today and the future Hyperloop Elon Musk envisions.

That is precisely where he comes in. Something about the story has changed: while construction of the Hyperloop between Austin and San Antonio never actually began—and the project could still change, face delays, or simply never make it off the drawing board—it has returned to the spotlight within a company controlled by Musk himself. There may well be a reason he is revisiting this technology now; for while Musk appeared to have set the Hyperloop aside, others did not. Companies continued developing pods, universities built prototypes, and new test tracks emerged; some projects shifted their focus to freight transport, and there were even instances of humans riding inside one of these pods.

The Hyperloop that Elon Musk unveiled to the world over a decade ago never materialized exactly as he envisioned, yet it did not die out completely, either.

All images were taken from the Resource or were created with artificial intelligence All images including schematics, photos and models are mine Espero que la información sea útil a la hora de tomar una decisión, no olviden apoyarme y nos leeremos en la próxima, adiós.