Last week, we posted graphics and more about Hyperloop, a proposed high-tech transportation apparatus developed by Daryl Oster, an inventor in Louisville.
But while the first Hyperloop Mark I is being proposed for California, another system, a magnetic-pod monorail called SkyTran, is being pitched for these parts: It would connect Boulder and Longmont. Look below for details, including graphics, videos and specifics about an informational meeting Thursday about the concept.
As noted by the Boulder Daily Camera, the main booster of the project is SkyTran Colorado CEO R. Paul Williamson.
R. Paul Williamson with a mock-up SkyTran pod, in an image from his Facebook page.
SkyTran, followed by several videos about the concept.
According to Williamson, the initial Boulder-Longmont SkyTran would run approximately fifteen miles, from the RTD Park and Ride at Table Mesa Park to the Longmont Diagnoal. The monorail track would be built above ground, mainly along the Highway 36 median, with the three-person-capacity pods powered magnetically, with solar panels providing much of the electricity. As a result, SkyTran would allegedly save 90 percent of the power costs over more traditional transit approaches.
How fast will it go? Technically, Williamson says, the SkyTran pods should be able to travel at 150 miles per hour. But given the comparatively short hop from Boulder to Longmont, the local version will likely max out at sixty MPH, getting people from here to there in about fifteen minutes, the Camera estimates.
Williamson puts the cost for the whole she-bang at $250 million, which he portrays as a relative bargain. Expect him to explain how during an informational get-together at the Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Avenue. The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday.
In the meantime, check out the following graphics, courtesy of
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SkyTran, followed by several videos about the concept.
Continue for more graphics, plus videos, spotlighting SkyTran.
Continue for more graphics, plus videos, spotlighting SkyTran.
Continue for more graphics, plus videos, spotlighting SkyTran.
Continue for videos spotlighting SkyTran.
More from our Business archive: "Photos: Hyperloop high-speed tube transport system's Colorado roots."
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Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports and stories that defy categorization.
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