A hyperloop tube at a testing facility for a high-speed transit system / Courtesy of Hardt Hyperloop

POSCO is boosting its steel supply for the world's first hyperloop facility, as Hardt Hyperloop's testing center in the Netherlands has completed its initial construction phase and is set to progress to the next stage, according to the company, Tuesday.

A hyperloop is a high-speed transportation system that uses magnetic levitation and low-pressure tubes to send pods carrying passengers or cargo at high speeds.

POSCO has supplied 352 tons of PosLoop 355 steel with a diameter of 2.5 meters for a 450-meter-long hyperloop test lane in Veendam in the Netherlands. The steel, 27 percent lighter than Hardt initially requested, is the world's first steel designed for hyperloop tubes. PosLoop has 1.7 times higher vibration absorption than general steel and possesses excellent seismic performance, enhancing stability, according to the company.

A ceremony in celebration of the completion of the hyperloop test lane was held, Monday, and the event featured high-profile guests, including Jens Gieseke, a member of the European Parliament, Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands and Hardt Hyperloop CEO Bertrand Van Ee.

Some 300 members of the European Hyperloop Center (EHC), a subsidiary project of the Hyperloop Development Program jointly being pursued by Hardt and the Dutch government, also joined the event.

The EHC is equipped with a testing tube and research facilities for the technologies' standardization and further innovation.

Phase B of the project — an additional 2.7-kilometer tube — is scheduled for completion by 2027. It will enable the hyperloop to reach its maximum speed of 700 kilometers per hour, taking it one step closer to commercialization. POSCO has agreed with Hardt to continue supplying specialized steels for the new test tube.

POSCO's partnership with Hardt began in 2022 when POSCO International acquired a 6.1 percent stake in the company through an investment, securing rights to supply the steel. The company signed a deal with the Dutch firm the following year to cooperate not only on Phase B but also on future hyperloop projects across Europe and the Middle East.

POSCO stated that although flights and ships will remain essential for passenger and freight transport in the era of carbon neutrality, travel between megacities will increasingly depend on hyperloop technology, which offers greater energy efficiency and speed.

"It is POSCO's mission to prepare for the rising demand for new steels that will build the future public transports," a POSCO official said.