The tunnelling industry needs to engage with government to "align what the industry can offer with the needs of society", according to London Bridge Associates managing director Simon Morgan.

Speaking at NCE's Tunnelling Festival, Morgan said this could lead to the development of ideas surrounding potential hyperloop systems of the future.

Hyperloop involves a magnetic train which travels in an air-free tube, requiring significant lengths of tunnel. The idea was suggested in 2013 by entrepreneur Elon Musk, who highlighted its low energy use.

Diaspora Ghana Property Awards & Exhibition 2020-2021

Tunnelling costs have, however, provided a challenge for its development. A report produced by London Bridge Associates for the British Tunnelling society earlier this year found that current innovations in tunnelling technology will not bring costs down enough to “make hyperloop in tunnels economically viable”.

Morgan added: “The economic justification for hyperloop will need to be considered in the real world with a defined transport system requirement and engineering requirement that meets the needs of the transport requirement and a resulting cost that may or may not satisfy a business case.

“There are incremental changes in tunnelling technology that are being made and will continue to be made but on their own they will not generate that significant step-change reduction in tunnelling costs.”

Morgan emphasised that tunnelling costs are “significantly related to tunnelling speeds”.

In line with this, he said that some advances have been identified that may enable tunnel lining and excavation to take place “in parallel rather than in series” which could improve speed.

Last month, the European Commission backed hyperloop in its sustainability strategy, while Spanish construction giant Ferrovial signed a framework agreement with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) to analyse the opportunities to build the advanced transport system in the US.

In March, the US government decided to establish a regulatory framework for the safe deployment of hyperloop systems. Following this, Virgin Hyperloop unveiled its first Hyperloop Certification Centre in October and completed the first passenger testing in November.

Earlier this year, Spanish hyperloop firm Zeleros announced that it had raised over €7M (£6.2M) to develop its version of hyperloop technology, while Polish company Hyper Poland raised over £436,000 (€500,000) in its UK equity crowdfunding campaign.

Source :Construction Week