Denver Chosen For Hyperloop-Inspired Transportation System

BY STEPHANIE MLOT 11.15.2017 :: 11:00AM EST.

High-speed transportation (via Arrivo)

Move over, Elon Musk: Colorado is the new site of a futuristic Hyperloop-inspired transportation system that could shuttle people between Denver and Boulder in eight minutes.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), E-470 Public Highway Authority, and Arrivo have inked a deal to bring a high-speed travel network to Denver.

Co-founded by SpaceX engineer Brogan BamBrogan, Los Angeles-based Arrivo plans to erect a full-system test track just off the E-470 Toll Highway, where the proposed first commercial leg will eventually be built.

“Twenty-first century transportation technology is finally arriving, and Denver is positioned to be the early benefactor,” BamBrogan said in a statement.

Unlike its Hyperloop rival, Arrivo focuses on local transit, its mission to connect “every part” of super-urban areas in fewer than 20 minutes.

“Passengers and cargo arrive quickly and efficiently at extremely low cost,” BamBrogan continued. “The whole region also wins as our high-throughput enables more total miles traveled to support growth and economic firepower.”

The hour-and-10-minute trip between Denver International Airport and downtown, for instance, would take only nine minutes on the Arrivo City Zipper. It’s even shorter (six minutes) for folks commuting from Lone Tree.

In an effort to reduce road traffic and improve how people and goods move around the city, Arrivo will implement “hyperloop technology”—magnetic levitation makes vehicles float, while electric power moves them forward.

“Arrivo’s system is an additional layer of transportation designed to complement existing modes of transportation, connect with the airport, the metro, and even allow people to use it with their own car,” BamBrogan said. “The residents, visitors, and businesses of Denver will now have a new tool to be anywhere they want to be.”

Following a feasibility study, the company hopes to open the first commercial route in Denver in the next four to five years.

With offices in LA and Aurora, Co., Arrivo is also expanding its corporate operations with a new Denver-based Engineering and Technology Center. All in all, the firm will add up to 200 employees by 2020, and funnel some $10-$15 million into the local economy next year.

“Arrivo will end traffic and future-proof regional mobility,” BamBrogan promised. “Now that’s a big win.”