Virgin Hyperloop laid off 111 employees as it abandoned the idea of ​​making its system ready for passenger use. Now the company has switched exclusively to the transportation of goods, in connection with which it has reduced almost half of the staff. A spokesman for the company confirmed to The Financial Times that there are changes in the business, with supply chain and COVID issues contributing to this.

Since its foundation, the company has been perfecting the vacuum pipe system for the transport of passengers and goods. One of the first Virgin Hyperloop concepts was an "inland port" in which cargo ships placed containers in capsules that were "fired" onto land for later offloading. Thus, the main logistics hub should not have been located by the sea, but instead could be located in the center of a transit hub closer to customers.

The concept has attracted the interest of Dubai-owned ports and logistics giant DP World, which has decided to invest in the technology. He currently owns a majority stake in Virgin Hyperloop, and in 2018 launched a Cargospeed sub-brand designed for the transport of goods.

bbabo.Net