Italy focus · 2026
Hyperloop in Italy: the state of the projects.
One public programme, one completed feasibility phase, one test track still to be funded. This page reports what actually exists, who is working on it and what is missing — documented facts only.
HyperTransfer
What HyperTransfer is.
HyperTransfer is the hyperloop programme for the corridor between Padua and Venice-Mestre, in the Veneto region. It was set up as an innovation partnership: a public procurement instrument that brought together the institutional side — the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Veneto Region and CAV, Concessioni Autostradali Venete — with the industrial capability assembled in the Hyperbuilders consortium.
The objective of Phase 1 was to verify the feasibility of designing, building and testing an ultra-fast, magnetically levitated, low-energy transport system, laying the basis for an innovative, sustainable and commercially competitive transport mode. The guiding criterion: select, wherever possible, technologies already commercially available, without proprietary patents or licences.
The documented partners
Who worked on it.
Phase 1 was delivered by the Hyperbuilders consortium — Webuild, a global infrastructure leader, and Leonardo, a major aerospace, defence and complex-systems group — which won the tender. Italferr and Italcertifer, FS Group companies, covered system integration, railway engineering and the route toward approval and certification. The University of Padua supported the PPMO with independent assessments of technology maturity.
Hyperworks, RINA and HyperloopTT were the appointed designers; Thyssenkrupp, PROSE, WayAssauto and the Milan, Turin and Bari polytechnic universities contributed specialist expertise. The work mobilised 50,000 engineering hours, 60 FTEs, over 5,000 pages produced and 20 nationalities across 8 countries.
Honest status
Feasibility completed does not mean construction started.
Phase 1 closed with a positive outcome on 12 November 2024, and CAV published the results on 3 June 2025 together with the proposed next step: a certification test track of about 10 km. Phase 2, design, is subject to activation and funding; Phase 3 is the construction of the test track. Today neither is funded.
This is the precise meaning of “feasibility completed”: the technical and economic case holds up to public scrutiny, but the decision to invest has not been taken yet. It is a distinction that matters, and we keep it explicit in every communication.
The European context
Italy is not alone.
In the Netherlands, the European Hyperloop Center operates a 420 m test tube in Veendam with a full lane switch, open to different hyperloop systems. Also in Veendam, from 13 to 19 July 2026, European Hyperloop Week brought together university teams from around the world with vehicles and full-scale pods.
At EU level, the Hyper4Rail project is defining a common hyperloop concept, interoperability rules and an industrial roadmap, and the Horizon Europe proposal HyperSafe — where Hyperworks leads the work package on control, command and signalling validation — has been selected for Grant Agreement Preparation. In Poland, Nevomo’s Magrail tests demonstrated maglev levitation on existing railway track, an adjacent technology that can be integrated as a subsystem.
Track active programmes worldwideHyperworks’ role
Who we are in this story.
Hyperworks promoted the project in Italy and the industrial coalition later formalised as Hyperbuilders, taking part in Phase 1 as an appointed designer. Since 2025 we have been an independent developer and integrator: for each corridor we choose the best technologies, with no obligations to a single supplier. Our headquarters are in Milan, Via Seprio 2.
We track the status of the programme and of the whole ecosystem through the Global Observatory, card by card, with source and verification date. If you want to contribute — as a company, research centre or institution — there is a dedicated channel.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Is there a hyperloop in Italy already?
No. No hyperloop line or test track has been built in Italy. What exists is a completed and validated public feasibility assessment for the HyperTransfer corridor between Padua and Venice-Mestre, published by CAV in June 2025, and a proposal for a test track of about 10 km that still awaits activation and funding.
Is the 10 km test track funded?
No. The published phasing is explicit: Phase 1, the feasibility assessment, was completed with a positive outcome on 12 November 2024. Phase 2 (design) is subject to activation and funding, and Phase 3 covers construction of the test track. Announcing a completed study is not the same as opening a construction site.
Who leads the HyperTransfer programme?
The contracting authority is CAV — Concessioni Autostradali Venete — which ran the innovation partnership and published the results, with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Veneto Region on the Technical Committee. Phase 1 was delivered by the Hyperbuilders consortium of Webuild and Leonardo, with Italferr and Italcertifer on integration and certification and the University of Padua providing independent technical assessment.
When will passengers be able to ride it?
There is no public date, and anyone quoting one is speculating. The documented roadmap is feasibility, then design, then a test track for prototyping and certification. A passenger service would come only after those phases are funded, built and certified.
How can I follow or contribute?
The Hyperworks Global Observatory publishes the verified status of HyperTransfer and of every other active programme, with source and verification date. Companies, researchers and institutions that want to contribute to the ecosystem can use the contribute page or write to Hyperworks directly.