Hyperloop executives meet with Tampa officials

PLANT CITY (FOX 13) - Central Florida transportation officials got a chance to ponder the potential impacts of a Hyperloop transit system. 

They met to discuss the possibility at the Plant City campus of Hillsborough County College on Friday.

What if someone could be safely transported from Tampa to Orlando in a matter of minutes?

A representative of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies said could be possible in just a few years.

“I think one of the amazing advantages that we have is the possibility to connect city center to city center in a short period of time with a very efficient system,” said Andrea La Mendola, the company’s Chief Global Operations Officer.

La Mendola said Hyperloop could make the Tampa to Orlando trek in about 10 minutes. He says the technology will be available in about 3 years.

“We are still in the testing phase,” he told FOX 13." There are two test sites, one in France and the other in Abu Dhabi."

It is being tested on a small scale right now without human passengers.

“The Hyperloop thing is interesting. It is the Jetsons,” commented Lake Alfred Mayor Charlie Lake after the meeting at HCC adjourned. “This could be a solution, but it is in the future."

In the meantime, a Florida company called Brightline has put in a big to build high-speed rail along the I-4 corridor.