Hyperloop One posted a video that centered around the so-called City of Gold on Monday and teased a big announcement for November 8. Today the company has confirmed that the world’s first Hyperloop will be built in Dubai, making it the first location to have a fully operational, ultra-fast transportation system using Hyperloop technology.
Hyperloop will lowering travel time
Apart from Dubai, various other nations are also working on developing Hyperloop systems to transport citizens from one city to another and even country to country in no time. Australia is already keen to build one such system, and Russia also seems excited about the concept. Other countries such as Singapore and parts of Europe are also looking to build the transport system that offers breakneck speed, notes Digital Trends. However, Dubai seems to be ahead of all these countries when it comes to building one.
In the promotional video, the Hyperloop journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is shown to take just 12 minutes, compared to making the trip in a car, which takes about two hours. Further, with the Hyperloop, one can complete the trip between Dubai and Doha in a mere 23 minutes compared to the seven hours taken by car and one hour by plane. It will take just 48 minutes to complete the run between Dubai and Riyadh, which takes about 10 hours by car and 1 hour and 45 minutes by plane, notes Digital Trends.
In the video, one can see several testing rigs, along with a lot of computer-generated imagery of the system in action. The video even shows the Hyperloop leaving a passenger plane far behind.
Dubai never shy of flashy projects
Hyperloop One is keen to work in Dubai, as in August, the LA-based company entered into a deal with DP World, the third largest port and terminal operating in the world. The agreement reads that the technology will be used to fuel the efficiency, profitability, and sustainability of DP World’s Jebel Ali Port, which is located in Dubai’s most famous city.
Dubai is known for taking up flashy projects. It is already home to the tallest building in the world, the world’s largest shopping mall, and the world’s longest indoor ski run. A floating villas project involving plans to build a rainforest inside a hotel is also underway in Dubai, notes Digital Trends.
Hyperloop a dream inching towards reality
Recall the time when Elon Musk fantasized a transportation system that could carry people and goods through tubes at a speed of over 700 mph. At that time, it looked like one of Musk’s many dreams, but Hyperloop One and HTT are serious about such technology and seem to have taken up the challenge. There are some who are still not sure how this system will work, but visible progress has been made in the last few years.
Hyperloop One co-founder Josh Giegel said, “I want to see a [Hyperloop] in five years. And I feel Dubai is the fastest way to make that happen.”
As of now, Hyperloop One is working in collaboration with RTA, and they will continue to work together over the next three months. By the end of this period, the company is looking to show the government that it can reduce the congestion in Dubai by 20% and cut emissions by 30%.
