Because of this tiny little paragraph, the hyperloop is far less compelling:

Safety and security are paramount, and so security checks will still be made in a similar fashion as TSA does for the airport.

Security theater brings the 30min SF – LA back up to 90min, at which point you might as well fly.
2016-09-03: Some progress.

The first hyperloop could open as soon as 2018. The company has announced plans to build an 8km operational hyperloop in Quay Valley, a proposed new urban development in Kings County, California. “We start construction this year, We are not building a test track in the middle of nowhere. We are building a full-scale hyperloop in a city that will have 10M people riding on it.” The Quay Valley hyperloop is projected to cost between $100B and $150M. How will they pay for it? “The money is not really an issue. The moment we pull the trigger, the money will be there.” Gresta was similarly offhand, saying that HTT has “several offers on the table” from investors. In addition to their time, he pointed out, some volunteers have also invested money. 1 German company has committed $1.7M.

2017-08-28: Hyperloop reached 324km/h

2019-04-19 Progress:

The report lays out, often in meticulous detail, what Musk and his company plan for their East Coast mass transit system. If completed, the privately funded Loop would carry passengers between downtown Baltimore and Washington through twin 56 km tunnels 20m below the surface. Battery-powered “autonomous electric vehicles,” or AEVs, would shoot passengers at speeds up to 240 kmh, completing the trip in 15 minutes. 70 ventilation shafts, housed in nondescript brown huts built on the surface of the route, would help passengers breathe—and serve as emergency exits. Fares would be “comparable to public transportation”.

2019-09-11: report from a Hyperloop conference:

Shortly after arriving at the Global Hyperloop Conference, Brad Swartzwelter looked me in the eye and issued himself a challenge. “If I haven’t convinced you by the end of this conference that Hyperloop is the most glorious transportation opportunity of our time, then I’ve failed.” A vast network of pods traveling in reduced air pressure tubes at upwards of 1100km per hour. He holds court on the subject with self-assuredness, because he has been holding this court, and repeating these words, perhaps longer than any other living person.

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