Nipping from London to Scotland, or vice versa, for a bite to eat or a few drinks in the pub may seem like a bit of a stretch. After all, your commute would be a toss-up between an eight-hour drive or a five-hour train, but thanks to a new technology that could be arriving as soon as 2040, that could well be set to change.
The supersonic Hyper Chariot transportation system would allow passengers to nip from Edinburgh to London in a staggering eight minutes, travelling at 4,000mph.
The Hyper Chariot would, if built, use rollercoaster-type technology to propel tube-like carriages through an airless tunnel at five times the speed of sound.
Hyper Chariot's President Matthew Modine, said: "With Hyper Chariot, we are aiming to bring nothing less than space travel on Earth, connecting cities and even countries in a way never before possible.
"It may seem like something out of science fiction but the technology is now available for travel through airless tubes at 4,000mph to become not only a reality, but a daily occurrence for passengers and cargo."
Credit: Cater
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You might be thinking that hurtling through a tunnel at thousands of miles per hour could be risky, but according to Mondine the Hyper Chariot would be incredibly safe.
"It will be the safest form of transport by far. Most injuries during travel are caused by human error or adverse weather conditions.
"Hyper Chariot is self-driving, monitored from a central command centre, and is contained within a tube so the infamous British weather can't cause any disruptions."
You won't be able to get up and wander around though. Due to the high speeds that passengers will be travelling at, seats will be have an F1 style design and pods will be relatively cramped.
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However, at around £100 a ticket and for an eight-minute travel time, that's something we'd be prepared to let slide.
Hyper Chariot will accelerate from 0 to 1,000mph in a staggering 60 seconds, reaching a top speed of 4,000mph in a mere three minutes.
G-force will be relatively small and pods will eventually be able to interchange, allowing passengers to travel to separate locations easily.
If all goes according to plan, it could be just over 20 years' time before we're able to travel the entire length of the country for a pint in less time than it takes to drink one.
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Words: Paddy Maddison