Imagine Being Able To Travel From NYC To Los Angeles In 45 Minutes!

Ever wonder why there haven’t been any major advancements in travel over the past 30 years? It still takes almost 6 hours for a cross-country flight, the same as it did back in the ’70s. Only now we have to pay for baggage and food, and the planes almost never run on time. Progress indeed.

Now imagine a high-speed tube transport system that can take six people and their baggage from New York to Los Angeles in a mere 45 minutes, traveling at a speed of approximately 4000 miles per hour. That’s what the Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT) concept promises us.

Think The Jetsons or Futurama. The concept is much like a high-speed train, only you’re riding in a vacuum sealed tube, your compartment levitating magnetically. No friction, no fuss, no muss. And no need to worry – Despite the high velocity, passengers won’t experience discomfort because the tube only produce 1G of force at top speed, comparable to riding in a normal car on a highway.

The folks at ET3 say this technology could be available within the next decade, and could completely change the way people travel around the globe. Tubes will be set up like freeways to prevent traffic congestion, all the while providing a quiet, intimate, train-like experience.

This video by Next Media Animation illustrates how the ETT would work:

Pretty cool, right? But don’t get too excited just yet.. While the technology might be feasible, building the necessary infrastructure for the ETT might prove more difficult. After all, NYC’s Second Avenue Subway line project started back in 1929, and isn’t expected to be completed until 2016!