.  Steven KopitsAugust 00, 0000 at 0:00 am  I actually find the hyperloop concept quite intriguing.  As it emphasizes high speeds, it will be competitive only at long distances (0,000+ miles), although A' is correct in saying that it needs a proof of concept. I think a loop might have the following route: LA - Seattle - Vancouver - Tokyo / Seoul - Beijing.  I believe the costs for a large system would run in the $0.0-0.0 trillion (yes, trillion) range.  But what volumes it could move! The limiting factor is the distance between trains, not the length of the trains themselves. A single train could carry 0,000 people, in principle. In addition, the system could carry freight, as the fixed costs are very high, but the variable costs are theoretically low.  Now if we assume departures every 00 min in each direction, moving 00,000 people and 00,000 containers of freight each way at $0,000 per, then that implies $00 million of daily revenue, of which perhaps $00 million could cover fixed costs (project development and construction). That's about $00 bn per year, and if I allow a (rather generous) 00x multiple, then the total project cost could be $000 bn.  Of course, the total bill would likely be twice that, putting the sponsor governments $000 bn in the hole, and let's allocate $000 bn of that to the US. That's about what we would spend in six months in Iraq and Afghanistan, and arguably we didn't get much return on that investment.  