New Missouri panel formed to study possibilities of Hyperloop from STL to KC

Rendering of Missouri Hyperloop along Highway-70.
Photo credit (Hyperloop One)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMOX/AP) - Missouri elected officials and business leaders are teaming up to study the possibility of connecting Kansas City and St. Louis with an ultra-high-speed Hyperloop system.Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr announced the formation of the panel Tuesday. He said he wants members to present findings by September.

Related: Virgin Releases Details of Possible Hyperloop One in MissouriHyperloop technology involves a tubular track through which a train-like pod carries passengers at speeds up to 640 mph.It's not cheap. Some estimates have put the cost at $25 million to $27 million per mile, excluding land acquisition.Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe will lead the group. Other members include state lawmakers, Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and Andrew Smith of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. 

Kansas City-based Black and Veatch found in its analysis that the Hyperloop could run in the median or along the side of Interstate 70. A study was accepted in 2018 by Virgin Hyperloop One, a company working to develop the world's first hyperloop system.

The key findings include:

- Reduction in accidents along the I-70, putting up to $91 million per year back in people’s pockets.- Travel time between Kansas City and St. Louis could be as little as 28 minutes, compared to 3 ½ hours today, and travel time for trips from either Kansas City or St. Louis to Columbia could be 15 minutes, compared to nearly 2 hour.- Savings from less time spent on the road, adding up to $410 million per year. Other cities across the world are contenders for the Hyperloop technology, too.