BACK in 2013, the US tech billionaire Elon Musk said that the future of travel was the hyperloop (超级高铁). It is described as magnetic (磁力运转的) transportation system that makes a pod (舱) travel in a tube (管道) at a speed of around 1,200 km per hour. His idea has taken one major step closer to reality this month. According to Xinhua, the Los Angeles-based company Hyperloop One completed a test run on May 11 in Las Vegas.