Virgin Hyperloop One to open development and testing center in Spain

Virgin Hyperloop One (Los Angeles, CA, US) signed an agreement in early August with Administrator of Railway Infrastructures, facilitated by the state-owned infrastructure agency ADIF, to open an Advanced Technology Development and Testing Center in the Andalusian region of Spain, the company’s first European development facility, valued at approximately 500 million USD. In return for this investment, Virgin Hyperloop One would obtain 126 million euros in public aid through loans and grants to help establish the new center, to develop, test, and certify components and subsystems. Virgin Hyperloop One estimates that it would hire 200-300 high-tech skilled professionals and that the center will help stimulate regional economic growth and job creation in the region

“With its robust transportation, aerospace, and high-tech sectors in turn paired with outstanding regional talent, Spain is an ideal fit for Virgin Hyperloop One’s Advanced Technology Development and Testing Center,” says Rob Lloyd, Virgin Hyperloop One CEO. “By investing in the development and testing of Virgin Hyperloop One, Spain is extending its long-tradition as an innovative, global transport leader. We are excited to partner with such a forward-thinking country in developing the next generation of transportation.”

The Virgin Hyperloop One Advanced Technology Development and Testing Center is to be located in the Andalusian region of Spain at Bobadilla, a village of the municipality of Antequera, in the province of Malaga. The company plans to open the 19,000 m² center by 2020.