Kansas City is actively working to become the first city in the U.S. to deploy Hyperloop transportation technology.

Representing the KC region, Chris Gutierrez, President of KC SmartPort, attended “Hyperloop On the Hill” in Washington D.C. on June 26. Virgin Hyperloop One held the event to present its technology to members of Congress and federal stakeholders, as the company continues to broaden support of its new transportation technology. 

“Hyperloop On The Hill” was targeted to the newly-formed Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council. The vision of the NETT Council is to develop and establish department-wide processes, solutions, and best practices to identify and manage non-traditional and emerging transportation technologies and projects, to provide assistance to local and state governments, and to conduct research to better understand the safety and regulatory needs of these technologies. 

The Hyperloop event offered an inside look at current U.S. developments, including the potential Kansas City to St. Louis route, and provided an overall progress update. Last year, Black & Veatch completed a feasibility study on a potential Hyperloop route that would connect Kansas City and St. Louis by a half-hour ride. The cities are 247.7 miles apart, and the drive on I-70 normally takes about four hours.

In April, Virgin Hyperloop One's CEO said Missouri is the front-runner for the futuristic mode of transportation because it's the first state to complete a feasibility study demonstrating how, in theory, it could work here.

A task force of experts is expected to report on construction and funding possibilities to the Missouri House of Representatives by fall of this year.