LABOUR’s shadow transport secretary has dismissed a suggestion that revolutionary ‘Hyperloop’ technology could replace the HS2 rail project as “frankly ridiculous”.

Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald said the proposal by business think tank Policy North was just a distraction.

Policy North said the £50bn investment in HS2 was “being wasted on yesterday’s technology to meet tomorrow’s transport needs” and delivered “little or no benefits to most towns and cities, especially those in the North”.

The Government should instead divert funds into Hyperloop, pioneered by US entrepreneur Elon Musk, which involves pods travelling up to 740mph through sealed tubes in a vacuum, with zero air resistance or friction.

Policy North said Hyperloop could cut travel times between London and Newcastle to just half an hour.

But Mr McDonald said: “To suggest that this is a viable alternative to HS2 is quite frankly ridiculous.

“We have a programme to improve the capacity and connectivity of our railway infrastructure and it may prove a meaningful and realistic proposition to expand that beyond HS2 into Crossrail for the North.

“We have enough on our plate with existing plans and it is the delivery of that we should be focusing on.

“It will be a major undertaking of itself and to be distracted by something totally inappropriate is a waste of everybody’s time.

“This may work in America, people talk about a Los Angeles to San Fransisco Hyperloop, but the topography and the geography is different and in a small like island like ours what we are doing is the right thing with HS2.

“I am afraid Hyperloop is totally unrealistic and not something I am going to give any further thought to.

“I concentrate on what is achievable not fanciful.”

Arlen Pettitt, policy adviser at the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “HS2 and the next stages of high speed rail will have a huge part to play in unlocking our economic potential, as will less high profile improvements to our roads and local rail.

“But with Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan looking ahead to 2050, it will be important to consider how new and emerging technologies – including the likes of Hyperloop – can be integrated into this long term vision without replacing existing plans.”