The first vacuum highway (hyperloop) HyperPort for high-speed delivery of sea containers inland and to other ports may appear in Latin America. The bold project has received a general economic justification and is preparing to undergo a comprehensive examination.
Image source: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
The project will enable the daily transportation of over 4,000 standard 40-foot (12.2 m) shipping containers over 100 kilometers or more, eliminating the difficulties associated with truck transportation on highways. According to the economic justification, the project will be profitable even if financed by private investment, and with government support it will be guaranteed to bring profit and many benefits, from environmental to social.
The project is being developed by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT). Containers will travel through a tube of rarefied air at speeds of up to 595 km/h, which will reduce the typical two-hour car journey from the port of Santos to the nearest transshipment point in Sao Paulo (97 km) to 20-30 minutes. Currently, this route is serviced by 3,000 to 15,000 trucks daily, which creates a significant load on road infrastructure and harms the environment.
A preliminary analysis of the project was carried out by LabTrans of the Federal University of Santa Catarina in collaboration with the Brazilian port logistics company EGA Group. The highway is planned to run from the port of Santos through São Paulo, with subsequent extensions to other major cities and seaports.
The Port of Santos handled more than 5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, a measure of containerized cargo) in 2024, ranking about 40th in the world but remaining the largest and most modernized container port in Latin America.
It is estimated that 4,810 capsules will be able to travel daily between São Paulo and Santos, and 4,156 between São Paulo and Campinas (a city further inland), reducing the number of trucks on the road by 4,000 units per day.
Construction of HyperPort will require significant investment. The projected capital expenditures for infrastructure construction will be $9.6 billion, and operating expenses for the entire service life will be $1.6 billion. At the same time, the expected revenue from the first section of the project alone will be $17.1 billion.
The HyperPort will eventually be 549 km long, from the port of Santos to São José do Rio Preto. HTT is currently focused on the 169 km Santos-Campinas section, which is expected to be the most profitable.
The total operating costs for the entire 549-kilometer highway will be $2.8 billion, with annual revenues of about $535 million. If the Brazilian government fully finances the project, the internal rate of return will be 62.7%, and the net present value (the profit the project will generate in the future) will reach $4.8 billion, making it an extremely attractive investment. Even if the private sector covers 25% of the capital costs, the project will remain financially viable and highly profitable.