The Hyperloop high-speed rail project has taken major leap forward with the completion of its first full systems test.

The test, which company Hyperloop One called “phase one of a multi-phase programme”, was privately conducted on the company’s test tube track in the Nevada Desert. The magnetic levitation vehicle accelerated to its target speed of 70mph (112.6kph), but this will increase to 400kph in the second test phase. Eventually, Hyperloop one expects to reach speeds of up to 1,000kph.

The test also covered the vehicle’s motor, suspension, electromagnetic braking and vacuum systems.

“Hyperloop One has accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full-scale Hyperloop system. By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in the air,” said Shervin Pishevar, co-founder & executive chairman of Hyperloop One. “For the first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced. Hyperloop is real and it’s here now.”

In addition to the test, Hyperloop One has also unveiled a prototype of the “Pod” that will transport passengers and cargo inside the tube. The 8.5-metre-long structure is made of aluminium and lightweight carbon fibre.

Designed as a new global high-speed transport solution, Hyperloop One will propel passengers and cargo through vacuum-sealed tubes at the speed of sound, using maglev rail technology. Several countries, including the US, India, UAE and Australia have expressed an interest in the project.

“With Hyperloop One, the world will be cleaner, safer and faster. It’s going to make the world a lot more efficient and will impact the ways our cities work, where we live and where we work. We’ll be able to move between cities as if cities themselves are metro stops,” Pishevar added.