It's not a Hyperloop, but it promises to whisk people around the Mile High city at up to 200 miles per hour.
Arrivo, a transportation company startup led by a former Hyperloop One executive, and the Colorado Department of Transportation have announced plans to build a series of high-speed transportation routes.
The Arrivo system will propel vehicles and cargo through an electro-magnetic superhighway using magnetic levitation and electric power. However, unlike the Hyperloop, which pushes pods through a vacuum tube at speeds of up to 600 mph, the Arrivo system in Colorado will move people to their destinations at much lower speeds.
Still, if the system works as advertised, getting around Denver could be much quicker.
For example, going from Denver to Boulder, which can take more than an hour during rush hour would become an eight-minute trip. It would be just nine minutes to go from the heart of the Mile High City to Denver International Airport. At times, that drive can take 70 minutes.
"We are reaching max roads in many cases in Colorado. Arrivo has a unique and practical approach to implementing hyperloop technology to eliminate traffic and dramatically improve the way people and goods move around the city," said Shailen Bhatt, executive director of CDOT.
For Arrivo's co-founder Brogan BamBrogan, the Colorado project is a bit of redemption following an ugly and controversial departure from Hyperloop One, which he also co-founded. BamBrogan was chief technical officer at Hyperloop One until leaving in July 2016, accusing other executives at the company of threatening him. He sued Hyperloop One and settled the case for an undisclosed amount of money earlier this year.
Now BamBrogan is focused on building Arrivo's test track outside of Denver.
"Everyone is a winner with our technology," he said. "Passengers and cargo arrive quickly and efficiently at extremely low cost."
Arrivo expects the test track to be completed by 2021.
Meanwhile, Colorado remains one of the markets in the running for a Hyperloop One regional route stretching from Pueblo to Fort Collins.
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