Dirk Ahlborn on possibility of building Hyperloop in Kazakhstan

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Hyperloop Transportation Technologies CEO Dirk Ahlborn evaluated the opportunity of building the futuristic ultra-high speed train in Kazakhstan, Kazinform reports.

"Currently we are working on the development of a new transport. Imagine a capsule by which you will be able to travel at an extremely high speed in a short period of time. We have already entered into agreements with China and Dubai. We want to work with Kazakhstan, but we need to discuss this issue with the politicians, the government, to set all legal frames," Dirk Ahlborn said on the sidelines of Digital Bridge forum in Astana.

Hyperloop is a project of a vacuum train with maximum achievable speed of 457km/ offered by Elon Musk in 2013. The project has not been implemented in full yet. Testing sites were built in Hawthorne and Las Vegas, and a new polygon is under construction in Toulouse.

Dirk Ahlborn says the project cost will depend on many factors, however approximate cost per one km road may comprise $20 million. "In Kazakhstan, this price can be much lower because of attraction of local employees," he added.

The expert stressed the importance of establishment of Astana Hub IT Startups Technological Park. "Development of a country will be impossible without digitalization. We need to always look ahead," he concluded.