Missouri wants to catapult its hyperloop progress by being the first to build a national certification track that would span 12 to 15 miles. It's the next step in eventually getting a permanent route in Missouri, according to the Blue Ribbon Panel on Hyperloop report released Monday.
The bipartisan panel, which formed March 12, includes lawmakers, subject-matter experts, and higher education and private-sector leaders. Chaired by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, the panel studied two main objectives: how to establish Missouri as a global epicenter for research and development of the tubed transport technology, and identifying potential funding and financing strategies for building out the ultra-fast transportation system.
The proposed Missouri route would connect Kansas City and St. Louis, with a stop in Columbia. It would shrink a trip between Kansas City and St. Louis from 3.5 hours (by car) to less than 30 minutes.
Overland Park-based engineering firm Black & Veatch released a feasibility study in October, which confirmed the viability of a hyperloop route along Interstate 70.
Read the rest of the story in the Kansas City Business Journal.