Transportation of the future? Public gets first glimpse of Hyperloop One

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- A low-profile block of aluminum zipped across a short stretch of what looked like railroad tracks Wednesday before crashing into a tuft of sand and sending a small cloud into the clear skies of the desert north of Las Vegas.

The seconds-long demonstration by startup Hyperloop One marked the first public glimpse of a propulsion system that its creators hope will rocket people and cargo through tubes at the speed of sound in five years.

It took place as hundreds of journalists and investors watched from grandstands about 50 yards away after being bused to the site from a swanky casino.

"It's going to eliminate the barriers we face every day of time and distance. It's going to change our lives," CEO Rob Lloyd said a day earlier. "It's real. It's happening now."

Executives with the Los Angeles-based company said the system could whisk people the 350 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.

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