'Supertube to travel faster than bullet train'

A new start-up known as Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is planning to develop a supertube that would take take passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes flat at a speed of 760 miles per hour.

The trip currently takes up to 12 hours by train and more than six hours by car.

Hyperloop, the tube transport dream of SpaceX founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, could be ready for passengers in as few as 10 years, the Daily Mail reported.

Over 100 engineers from across the world are working on Musk's supertube.

Inside the tubes, hyperloop pods are mounted on thin skis made out of inconel, an alloy that can withstand high pressure and heat.

Air is pumped into the skis via small holes to make an air cushion with each pod having air inlets at the front.

An electric turbo compressor would compress air from the nose and route it to the skis and the capsule.

Magnets on the skis and an electromagnetic pulse would provide the pod its initial thrust.

The capsules carrying six to eight people would depart every 30 seconds.

"The only resistance would be the air in front of the capsule which we moved to the back by using a compressor," Hyperloop CEO Dirk Ahlborn was quoted as saying.

According to Musk, Hyperloop would be a practical solution for travel between cities separated by 1,000 miles or less.