Columbus is getting hyped. Hyperloop One, a whole new way to move people from point A to point B, has announced their 35 semifinalists for the Hyperloop One Global Challenge. And the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s Midwest Connect made the cut. This is no small feat: there were 2,600 registrants in just five months.



Hyperloop is “a new way to move people and things at airline speeds for the price of a bus ticket.” They describe it as broadband for transportation. The word’s first Hyperloop will use this new technology, which will move people and freight quickly, safely and on-demand. How? Using an electric propulsion motor, a levitated pod will glide through a low-pressure tube, with no turbulence. No more pilot error. No more weather hazards. A-ma-zing.

The Global Challenge began in May of 2016, calling on companies, governments, universities and individuals to develop proposals for using this cutting edge technology. MORPC submitted the Midwest Connect proposal, which would connect the people and freight of Columbus, the fastest growing region in the Midwest, with the major transportation hubs of Chicago and Pittsburgh.

MORPC will now further develop the proposal, partnering with public and private entities in the area to detail how the project would impact the economy of the region. The final 35 teams will share models, maps, renderings and more at a series of Global Challenge events this year (February 28 in New Delhi, India; April 6 in Washington DC; and April 27 in London).

Will Midwest Connect be the last project standing? We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.