Recognised by Swiss government

The final days of 2020 had good news for the Swiss Hyperloop community. The Swiss government supports the construction of the AlphaTube which is part of the research center for vacuum transport in Collombey-Muraz (VS) with a subsidy of 6 million Swiss Francs (~5.6 million €) giving Hyperloop initiatives in Switzerland an enormous boost. This research center will be the home of a 3 kilometer test track along the existing railway line of the Swiss Federal Railways.

The step taken by the Federal Department of Education, Research and Innovation shows the confidence of the Swiss Federal Authorities that vacuum transport could become a significant mobility technology and therewith a potential market for Switzerland-based companies. A Breakthrough innovation in this field could create an entire new generation of jobs for highly-skilled workers and reinforce the leading position that Swiss Universities have in sustainable mobility.

In its evaluation, the Swiss Science Council (SSC) recognizes the strong ties of EuroTube with the business and research community. Switzerland’s research institutions have a long-standing record in related technologies. This track record is underlined by previous successes of the Swiss Teams of the ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne in the Hyperloop Competitions of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The SSC report states that while the development of vacuum transport is a huge international effort there are specific technology hot-spots with a corresponding ecosystem that power innovations.

The SSC recognizes the potential that a research center in Switzerland could boost economic activity and give Swiss companies a competitive edge as innovators, developers, and future suppliers in a market that was termed a market of tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.

The new status as a research institute of national importance boosts further investments by private actors and supports the development of an ecosystem around the development of this disruptive technology in sustainable long-range transport.

Useful links: BAK Economics AG / Schweizerischer Wissenschaftsrat SWR