Earlier quoted context omitted.
Supersonic vehicles have been designed that minimize the size of the sonic boom. For example, the Lockheed Martin SAI produces a sonic boom 1% as big as the Concorde ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAI_Quiet_Supersonic_Transport ).
Hmm. Maybe it won't be a problem after all. The size of the sonic boom seems to correlate positively with the size of the wing surface. Since a track (or tube) based system wouldn't need much of a wing, it ought to have a pretty small boom. However, I do want to point out that rifle shots are supersonic and are annoying to the neighbors, and they have no wings at all.
Re: How Does Elon Musk's Hyperloop Work?
#11I'm pretty sure a subsonic rifle shot is still pretty loud. :)