West Virginia site chosen for high-speed travel facility; Missouri still in running for commercial track

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)

Virgin Hyperloop One will build a certification center in West Virginia to test the high-speed transportation concept that uses enclosed pods to zip passengers underground at over 600 mph.

The company had received bids from over a dozen states in the past year to build a 6-mile testing track and other facilities over hundreds of acres. Hyperloop technology hopes to one day provide clean-energy fast travel across the country.

Virgin is studying building a route that would link Chicago and Pittsburgh in under an hour. Certification for commercial travel is still expected to be years away.

Missouri has been courting the company, with a special panel last year recommending the state seek both the test track and the commercial route. Virgin Hyperloop said in a statement that the test track will "pave the way" for commercial projects in states including Missouri.

Ryan Weber, a member of the KC Tech Council working with Virgin Hyperloop, said in a statement that work continues in Missouri.

"On behalf of the Kansas City Hyperloop Team, we'd like to congratulate West Virginia," Weber said. "The Hyperloop Certification Center (HCC) is one component of a broad, exciting slate of proposed Virgin Hyperloop projects where our Kansas City Team has made a contribution. We are excited to continue working with Virgin Hyperloop, parallel to HCC, by building a commercial hyperloop route in the Kansas City region."

The ABC 17 News team contributed to this report.