A former coal mine in Tucker and Grant County, West Virginia, is the location for Virgin Hyperloop’s new Hyperloop Certification Center, a facility designed to get the technology ready for implementation. The news comes after an invitation for states to tender to host the facility, which was launched at the end of 2019 with 17 states participating. A bi-partisan effort to put West Virginia ahead of the queue was backed by Senator Joe Manchin and Gov. Jim Justice.

When completed, the facility will work on developing the “regulatory and commercial” elements of the technology. For instance, it’ll work on safety