Juan Matute, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to the New York Times about the challenges facing hyperloop technology, which would theoretically enable transportation of people and goods at speeds up to 600 miles an hour. Virgin Hyperloop recently became the first company to conduct a human test of the technology at a test track in Las Vegas. The company hopes to eventually use the technology to move passengers and cargo in vacuum tubes between cities and ports, cutting travel time significantly. However, transportation experts noted that the hyperloop system would require expensive maintenance. Matute pointed out that, like high-speed rail systems, hyperloop companies will have to acquire expensive rights of way. The tubes that carry hyperloop pods will have to be very straight with wide turns in order to enable high-speed travel. “Airlines do not have this problem,” Matute said.