Volterra carried out an economic assessment of an ultra-fast transport system connecting Stockholm to Helsinki. Hyperloop One will be an entirely new form of transport: as planned, it will connect city centres that were previously hours apart in minutes and deliver a step change in the relationship between distance and connectivity. The existing journey requires a flight – and the associated time to access the airport, check in and board – or a very long ferry. Hyperloop One would run direct between the two city centres and reduce journey times between the two to half an hour, with intermediate stations along the route. The increase in accessibility will result in significant Wider Economic Benefits (WEBs) as a result of the increase in “effective density” and increased access to labour. Our work included valuing the user benefits and the WEBs, and incorporating them into the economic case.
