First photos of ‘Hyperloop’ train which could go London-Manchester in 18 minutes

A futuristic train which has been described as the first major change in transport technology in over a century has been shown off in working form near Las Vegas.

The Hyperloop – which could one day blast passengers from London to Manchester in 18 minutes – consists of passenger pods travelling through vacuum tubes at breakneck speeds of 500mph and above.

Pictures were shown off at a conference in Dubai – which has signed a deal for a line running from the city-state to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

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The Hyperloop train will be able to travel the 90 miles in as little as 12 minutes.

Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, said, ‘While technology is revolutionizing many facets of our lives, we have not seen a radical change in transportation since the Wright brothers introduced air travel over 100 years ago.

A report by Wired suggested that two firms developing the technology have been in talks with the government about bringing it to the UK.

The UK talks centred on potential for a Hyperloop system linking Manchester and Liverpool, according to Wired.

If the Hyperloop train becomes reality, it will also be super-efficient – using a fraction of the energy needed to power a train.

Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, said in a statement: We will work… to redefine the future of transportation, providing a more immediate, safe, efficient and sustainable high-speed backbone for the movement of people and things.’