‘Flying on the ground.’ Swisspod flexes Aerys 1 technology in Pueblo

Over 100 spectators gathered under a tent inside PuebloPlex and watched a screen showing live footage of Swisspod’s Aerys 1 “flight” through the company’s hyperloop test track tubes on Nov. 21.

Swisspod CEO Denis Tudor joyfully told the crowd at the “Hyperloop Day” celebration in Pueblo that its Aerys 1 capsule had successfully reached a record speed — 65 miles per hour — during the test at PuebloPlex. Just last year, a Swisspod capsule in Lausanne, Switzerland was traveling at about 25 miles per hour.

With over 400 meters of infrastructure, the Pueblo hyperloop track became the world’s largest in July 2025. Pods traveling on the track are self-contained and do not require a driver. Tudor told the Chieftain that the long-term goal is to produce hyperloop technology that safely transports passengers through low pressure tubes at several hundreds of miles per hour — making a 15-minute trip from Pueblo to Denver possible.

“I said to somebody earlier, ‘Explain it to me like you would your next-door neighbor,’ and they said, ‘This is like flying on the ground,'” Bennet said. “We’re flying in space. We’re flying in the air. We’re flying on the ground here in Colorado and each one of the sectors brings with it a supply chain that is incredibly important to livable wages here in Colorado.”

Feeley said that the FRA has taken an interest in Swisspod’s technology being tested in Pueblo because the current state of American passenger rail “isn’t so great.” He alluded to shortcomings with Amtrak in areas like the northeast corridor.

 

“One of the ways we can make it better is by introducing competition,” Feeley said before gesturing toward Swisspod testing infrastructure. “This is the perfect example of a project that would be great competition for something like Amtrak. To go, in a matter of minutes, several hundred miles is way better than paying $800 to sit on a train that’s 30 miles per hour and it stops every 30 minutes or whatever.”

According to Swisspod’s website, the company has intentions to begin cargo transport with its hyperloop technology within the next five years and transport human passengers within the next decade. These plans are dependent on regulatory approval.

“The global transportation sector today continues to be a major catalyst of the climate crisis and of unequal access to opportunities – change is urgent and can be brought by Hyperloop,” according to the company’s website. “Swisspod believes it is developing the necessary engineering components to reduce the cost and energy consumption to make this mode of transportation not only sustainable but economically viable.”

James Bartolo
Pueblo Chieftain