Ten years of Delft Hyperloop: towards a new European transport system

In short:

• Delft Hyperloop is celebrating its tenth anniversary and will unveil a new prototype during European Hyperloop Week, developed with future freight transport in mind.
• Despite ongoing scepticism about the feasibility of the hyperloop, the team has achieved significant technological breakthroughs, including passive track technology and an innovative cooling system, bringing the concept closer to practical implementation.
• Team captain Elise Terwogt expects the first hyperloop connection to be built within the next decade, with freight transport paving the way for passenger services. 

It is early July, and the Dream Hall – home to TU Delft’s student teams – is buzzing with activity. Theia II, Delft Hyperloop’s latest prototype, is being prepared for transport to the European Hyperloop Center in Veendam, in the north of the Netherlands. One student is busy machining spare parts on a lathe. “If something breaks, you can’t just pop down to the DIY store to buy a replacement,” Terwogt says.

A 420-metre test track 

Veendam is home to a 420-metre-long test tube, including a switch to a second tube. From 12 to 18 July, it will host European Hyperloop Week, the world’s largest international hyperloop competition. More than twenty teams from thirteen countries will take part. Delft Hyperloop is aiming to win once again. In 2025, the team made history by becoming the first student team to successfully demonstrate a hyperloop pod on the test track. 

During the Hyperloop Xperience on TU Delft Campus in early June, the Theia II pod completed a successful test run, showcasing the innovations the team has developed over the past year. Terwogt is determined to excel again in Veendam. “Our goal is to win the competition.” 

Hardt Hyperloop bankruptcy 

That ambition stands in stark contrast to recent developments in the wider hyperloop sector. Delft-based start-up Hardt Hyperloop filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, while experts have questioned the feasibility of the concept for years. The technology is regarded as fascinating, but many technical challenges remain unresolved. High costs and environmental concerns also continue to present significant obstacles.

Appearances, however, can be deceiving. “A bankruptcy doesn’t mean the technology has failed,” says Terwogt in one of the Dream Hall’s meeting rooms. “Research and prototype development are progressing rapidly in Asia. Major advances are being made there.” 

Even Elon Musk, who sparked the original hyperloop hype in 2012, revived his vision earlier this year. He claimed that The Boring Company could build a hyperloop tunnel between San Francisco and Los Angeles for a fraction of the cost of a high-speed rail connection.

A strategically important technology 

The European Commission has not abandoned the technology either. In a fact-finding study published in late 2025, hyperloop is described as “strategically relevant” for Europe. According to the report, “Hyperloop is developing rapidly and could soon move from the prototype stage to demonstration projects.”

The innovations Delft Hyperloop will present in Veendam reflect that transition. Theia II has been developed with future freight transport applications as its primary focus. The pod features a dedicated cargo operating system capable of transporting up to 500 kilograms of freight. “With this prototype, we’re taking the next step towards implementation,” says Terwogt.

“Our main objective this year was to improve reliability significantly, allowing the prototype to operate for much longer periods.” Achieving that required solving several technical challenges. “The battery is currently the biggest limitation. The pod must not overheat, so effective cooling is essential. But conventional cooling doesn’t work inside a vacuum tube, which is why we developed a completely new system: a thermal battery.”

Towards realistic implementation 

The team has also addressed several other key challenges that could make large-scale hyperloop deployment commercially viable. “We were among the first to develop a system using so-called passive rails, without any moving parts. The rails contain no magnets, only steel.” All propulsion technology is integrated into the Theia II pod itself, making the infrastructure “much cheaper” to build.

This conclusion is supported by a research paper produced by the team on the realistic implementation of hyperloop across Europe. The study demonstrates how relatively modest infrastructure investment could replace thousands of short-haul flights across the continent. A second study, examining vibrations within the tube – another major technical challenge – concludes that the Delft system does not encounter significant vibration issues. 

Complementary to high-speed rail 

Terwogt believes hyperloop could solve one of Europe's most pressing environmental challenges. “Short-haul flights are the most polluting form of transport. Hyperloop offers the opportunity to replace many of those flights.” She stresses that hyperloop is not intended to replace Europe’s high-speed rail network but to complement it.

“More and more people want to travel, and hyperloop is competitive with short-haul aviation. High-speed rail alone will never replace the aeroplane because trains are simply slower.”

By levitating inside a vacuum tube, eliminating both air resistance and rolling resistance, hyperloop vehicles can theoretically exceed speeds of 1,000 kilometres per hour. Propulsion is entirely electromagnetic, requiring no fossil fuels.

Terwogt is equally unconvinced that electric aircraft will become the ultimate solution for short-distance travel. “They may become part of the solution, but they are still essentially improvements to existing modes of transport, just as we continue to optimise conventional rail.”

Why Europe must seize the opportunity 

According to Terwogt, today’s challenges require an entirely new transport system. “We keep trying to optimise infrastructure that was built 200 years ago for a completely different era. Developing a new, high-quality and sustainable transport system is the best way to address today’s mobility challenges.”

She points out that constructing a hyperloop line now costs roughly the same as building a high-speed railway, while remaining cheaper than constructing new motorways. “It’s important that Europe remains at the forefront. Our infrastructure is under enormous pressure, and Europe needs to solve that challenge itself.”

Technologically, Europe still enjoys an advantage. “China has not yet developed the fully passive technology that we have. We were the first to demonstrate a successful track switch. We have the expertise needed to establish standards that will allow the technology to scale in the future.” 

Freight transport will pave the way 

Terwogt believes the first commercial hyperloop route could be built within the next decade, with a broader network following during the decade after that. The crucial step is agreeing on common standards and launching the first pilot project as quickly as possible. “We believe freight transport will be the logical starting point. It will also help build public confidence once people can see that the system actually works.”

Looking back on ten years of Delft Hyperloop, she says the team's priorities have fundamentally changed. “In the early years, everything revolved around speed. Today, we’re demonstrating that the technology is reliable over long distances and that passive rails significantly reduce infrastructure costs.”

The team collaborates closely with numerous industrial partners, who contribute expertise, materials, software and financial support.

Knowledge already finding its way into society 

The knowledge developed by Delft Hyperloop is proving valuable far beyond the project itself. “We’ve developed highly specialised expertise in electric motors, cooling systems for vacuum environments and extremely precise control systems. Our pod weighs 1,700 kilograms – about the same as a family car – and travels at high speed through a vacuum tube while maintaining a clearance of only a few millimetres. Monitoring and controlling that requires extraordinary precision.”

The competition in Veendam also marks the end of the current Delft Hyperloop team. In September, a new generation of students will take over. Terwogt, who led a team of 44 students over the past year, will then begin a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering.

“I’ll be specialising in control simulation.” Unsurprisingly, she says, that choice was inspired by her experience with the hyperloop.

This article was first published on 9 July by TU Delft.