Travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in just 12 minutes: Dubai to have hyperloop prototype by 2020
High-speed transportation system will link Abu Dhabi with Dubai, two cities more than 150 kms apart in the UAE. Travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes might seem like a leaf out of a science fiction book, but thanks hyperloop technology – the brainchild of Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk – it may soon be a reality.
The futuristic city-state of Dubai has signed a deal with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.
Dubai’s Road and Transportation Authority announced the deal with Hyperloop One on Tuesday atop the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
No financial terms were immediately discussed and the technology itself remains under testing. A hyperloop has levitating pods powered by electricity and magnetism that hurtle through low-friction pipes at a top speed of 1,220 kph (760 mph).
Organizers suggest the travel time by hyperloop would be only 12 minutes, down from the hour-plus journey it now takes by car. The announcement comes after Dubai hosted a competition in October to design a hyperloop track.
UAE has taken this step in the future of hypersonic travel by investing in a Hyperloop link between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which would transport commuters between the two emirates within 12 minutes.
The high-speed transportation system will link Abu Dhabi with Dubai, two cities more than 150 kilometres apart in the United Arab Emirates. There are also plans to introduce a similar system between Dubai and Fujairah. According to a graphic shared by Hyperloop One, travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be reduced to 12 minutes when travelling in a Hyperloop. The same journey would take over an hour with Etihad Rail, and hour and 20 minutes by flight, an hour and 30 minutes by car, and two hours by bus.
Hyperloop is a tradename and a registered trademark of the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) for the high speed transportation of passengers and goods in partially evacuated tubes.
//from Internet Desk- with inputs from agencies.