The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has been cooking up some innovative plans to connect the Midwest via hyperloop, and you should be stoked! The “Midwest Connect” (as it’s been aptly named) means you could travel to major midwestern cities in minutes instead of hours.

If you work in Pittsburgh, you could go for a lunch break in Columbus. If you live in Ohio, you could hop on the hyperloop to visit Chicago!

Keep reading to find out what hyperloops are and all the possibilities they’ll have for you!

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Hyperloops… say what now?

Think of Katniss and Peeta being whisked away to the Capitol in The Hunger Games. Hyperloops are futuristic transportation systems where commuters board pods and are transported through low-pressure tubes at 700 miles an hour. Cool, yes?

They’re that incredibly fast because they use magnetic levitation and vacuum pumps to eliminate friction and air resistance. Not only are hyperloops speedy, but they’re also supposed to be cheaper and better for the environment than planes, trains, or cars. Even cooler, yes?

But what is the Midwest hyperloop?

The Midwest Connect is a hyperloop that will theoretically link Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Chicago, creating a “Midwest Megaregion.” The goal is to bridge together the highest amount of people in the area (about 13.8 million) and cities that will combine for the largest gross domestic product (about $865 billion).

According to the plan, passengers and freight will be able to be transported around the 488-mile loop from Pittsburgh to Chicago in under 30 minutes, with a round trip clocking in under an hour. Major stops in-between include Columbus, Fort Wayne, and Indiana, among others.

Prototypes of the pods are being developed in universities across the country and are predicted to hold 20 to 40 people.

The project hasn’t been started yet, but the MORPC is expected to make an announcement regarding the first step towards making it a reality. Let’s hope it’s a big one because this scheme is going to be awesome!

How will this affect your life?

A hyperloop system will benefit the entire Midwest.

They’re supposed to be a great alternative for the environment because they run on renewable energies like solar, wind, and thermal power. So in the future when there are hyperloops everywhere, you can feel even better about ditching your car in favor of riding in one of the shiny new tubes.

Hyperloops would solve many of the region’s access challenges by transforming how passengers and freight are moved across the region. Rapid transport means a rapid transfer of food and information. It means all sorts of new opportunities involving jobs, trade, and energy.

The Midwest Connection plan becoming a reality will make it possible to live in Pittsburgh and work all the way in Chicago, for example. People everywhere will have easier access to hotspots throughout the Midwest.

Columbus is going to be one of these hot markets, especially when it comes to real estate. People who live near an innovative system such as a hyperloop will have a much wider range of options as to where they could work, shop, or seek entertainment. Once the Midwest Connection is completed (which won’t be for a while; it’s a massive undertaking), expect to see loads of people flocking to the major cities it connects.

Interested in getting a jump start on moving to Columbus or somewhere close by? Talk to a HER, REALTORS® today!