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Hyperloop to become a reality after Russian government invests

A trip that normally takes several hours from Budapest to Bratislava will only take 10-minutes by Hyperloop

A Kremlin-backed Russian investment fund has invested in Elon Musk's Hyperloop, it has been revealed.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which was launched with support of the Kremlin in 2011, made their investment along with SNCF and General Electric.

The Russian leg of the Hyperloop train link will be separate to the already planned Budapest to Bratislava and Vienna section, but is expected to bridge together to form one big Central European Hyperloop.

Once completed, Hungarian passengers will be able to shoot through the air at hyper-speeds thanks to the new train planned to link Budapest to Bratislava and Vienna.

A trip that normally takes several hours from Budapest to Bratislava will only take 10-minutes by Hyperloop.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has designed window-less carriages that travel at the speed of sound in frictionless vacuum tubes.

To curb claustrophobia within the tube, designers have developed large augmented windows that project a view of the outside world inside the cabin.

The ‘fake window’ technology can screen weather updates and local information for the travelling passengers.

The first country to benefit from a Hyperloop link is likely to be the eastern European country of Slovakia, which has signed an agreement to link its capital, Bratislava, with Austria’s Vienna and Hungary’s Budapest.

Hyperloop One has already carried out open-air tests that saw a metal sled test vehicle accelerate to 187km/h in just 1.1 seconds, pulling 2.4g. Later this year a full test of what’s believed to be a full-size capsule will be carried out.

Addressing safety concerns, HTT says its capsules will be made of high-strength carbon-fibre called Vibranium.

HTT has yet to carry out public tests of its prototypes but says its European Hyperlink railway should be completed by 2020.