Gulf Construction Online - Abu Dhabi joins the hyperloop race

UAE Focus

Future vision ... HyperloopTT’s superfast system running alongside the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Abu Dhabi joins the hyperloop race

01 January 2017

Abu Dhabi has entered the race to build the world’s first hyperloop, hot on the heels of Dubai’s quest to develop and build the futuristic superfast transportation system.

The emirate’s Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport (DMAT) has signed an agreement with the US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) to undertake a feasibility study to connect the capital with the Al Ain region with a hyperloop system, in which capsules will be propelled at great speeds through tubes that connect one destination with another.

The study will include route analysis, feasibility studies, and a cost estimate and development schedule which will be determined over the next few months.

Once these analyses are completed, both DMAT and HyperloopTT will discuss further steps.

The move comes in line with the Abu Dhabi government’s long-term vision and plan. “Through this agreement with HyperloopTT, we aim to study the feasibility of developing the first Hyperloop system... that is expected to reach a top speed of 1,200 km per hour,” said Khalid Mohamed Hashim, a senior official at DMAT.

“We hope to take advantage of this technology to connect the cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, which will result in a travel time of about eight to 12 minutes,” he added.

Hyperloop TT’s technology is based on the Halbach Array – a pattern of magnets which produces its own electrical current and levitation for the capsules.

Last November, Dubai teamed up with HyperloopTT’s competitor Hyperloop One to look at the feasibility of developing a 500-mph system which would whisk passengers from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in a mere 12 minutes, compared to two hours by road in a car.