2024-05-08T22:07:03-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150232719/virgin-hyperloop-to-build-500-million-test-site-in-west-virginia Alexander Walter 2020-10-12T15:06:00-04:00 >2024-03-15T01:45:58-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/a9/a922a2f07949362cb50358a30b56c3b3.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Virgin Hyperloop One announced its plan to build a $500 million certification center to advance its vision of the future of high-speed transportation in West Virginia. The state will serve as a locus for testing, developing, and validating the technology that underpins the still-theoretical hyperloop system.</p></em><br /><br /><p>In a statement, Richard Branson's company Virgin Hyperloop <a href="https://virginhyperloop.com/press/west-virginia-hcc" target="_blank">expressed hope</a> that the new West Virginia Hyperloop Certification Center, combined with unusual bipartisan political momentum, "will pave the way for the certification of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/320195/hyperloop" target="_blank">hyperloop systems</a> in the US and around the world &mdash; the first step towards commercial projects."</p> <figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/a1/a198f593c6a2d8311a8d803a08980d57.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/a1/a198f593c6a2d8311a8d803a08980d57.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Rendering of the planned Hyperloop Certification Center in West Virginia. Image: Virgin Hyperloop.</figcaption></figure>