Gov. Jim Justice famously promised a rocketship ride for West Virginia’s economy. Today, Justice announced the state has landed a $500 million development center for high-speed pod-and-tube transportation.
Virgin Hyperloop announced this morning that it will locate a certification facility on nearly 800 acres of land across Tucker and Grant counties.
“Today is a fantastic day for the state of West Virginia, and I’d like to be the first to officially welcome the folks from Virgin Hyperloop to their new home,” Justice said.
A hyperloop system could connect cities, allowing transportation in pods zipping through sealed tubes at speeds of 600 miles an hour or more.
The certification center would be a hub to lay the groundwork for research and regulation.
Today’s announcement, conducted online, included a lineup with Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and John Chambers, a West Virginia native and former chairman of Cisco Systems. Also speaking was U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Branson announced, “The Hyperloop Certification Center will be in the state of West Virginia.”
“You took a risk on our state,” Chambers told Branson.
The state has been in the running for the project for nearly a year, with officials from Virgin Hyperloop visiting West Virginia University in November last year.
“When we approached Virgin Hyperloop, I told them that we would do everything we could to bring this opportunity to West Virginia,” Justice continued. “We look forward to working with the Virgin Hyperloop team to create a lasting partnership for years to come.”
The certification center would involve high-speed testing, improving operations such as the specific step-by-step of getting on board or off, plus transportation regulatory issues.
The project will involve expertise and resources from West Virginia University, Marshall University and other state assets.
“West Virginia is well-positioned to provide a fully-integrated solution that advances the nationwide opportunity for hyperloop,” said Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop.
“The engineering and scientific talent, combined with the skilled workforce and collaborative spirit we know is critical to this project, is all right here.”
Hyperloop would move people and goods in pods through a vacuum tube at speeds exceeding 600 mph, enabling travel from Pittsburgh to Chicago in 41 minutes or New York City to Washington, D.C. in just 30 minutes.
Walder noted that the Hyperloop Certification Center’s role is critical, a necessary next step in taking proven technology and demonstrating to regulators and certifiers that it works and is safe for passengers.
Work on the certification center is expected to begin in 2021 with a planned welcome center, certification track and operations center, pod final assembly facility, production development test center, and operations, maintenance and safety training center.
The new development is anticipated to create thousands of new jobs across construction, manufacturing, operations and high-tech sectors. Virgin Hyperloop says much of that would take place locally.
WVU’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research predicts the total economic impact of the center’s ongoing operation on the West Virginia economy to be $48 million annually.
“Just look at this announcement and all it will bring to our state – investment, jobs, and tremendous growth,” Justice stated.
The land, owned by Western Pocahontas Properties and located near Mt. Storm, is being donated to the WVU Foundation in partnership with Virgin Hyperloop.
Western Pocahontas Properties worked with environmental planners to ensure the new development would complement the area’s rugged beauty, said Corby Robertson, owner of Western Pocahontas Properties.
“This thorough planning and commitment to our community and environment make this site very attractive to Virgin Hyperloop because they share our values for sustainable growth,” Robertson said.