US startup Hyperloop One on Wednesday announced the first successful full-systems test of its near-supersonic rail transit system.

The test took place in May at the company's development track in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas, and involved a vehicle coasting above tracks for slightly more than five seconds using magnetic levitation, according to the startup.

The test vehicle accelerated to a speed of 70 miles (112 kilometers) per hour during the test, and the company's next goal is to ramp the speed to 250 mph (400 kph), Hyperloop One said in a release.

"Hyperloop One has accomplished what no one has done before by successfully testing the first full scale Hyperloop system," said startup co-founder and executive chairman Shervin Pishevar.

"By achieving full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you're flying at 200,000 feet (60,000 meters) in the air."

Hyperloop One had originally promised a full-scale demonstration by the end of 2016, after a successful test of the propulsion system.

Source: Khaleej Times