First 10km of UAE hyperloop ‘ready in 2020’

The project billed as the world’s first commercial hyperloop system is on course to open its first 10km section next year in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In an interview Bibop Gresta, chairman of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, told Emirates News Agency that the average cost would be $20-40m per km. Despite the cost, he is confident that the scheme – which will eventually run for 150km between Abu Dhabi and Dubai – will pay for itself in “eight to 15 years”. “It will be paying for itself
January 29, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The project billed as the world’s first commercial hyperloop system is on course to open its first 10km section next year in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In an %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external interview false http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302733154 false false%> Bibop Gresta, chairman of 8535 Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, told Emirates News Agency that the average cost would be $20-40m per km.

Despite the cost, he is confident that the scheme – which will eventually run for 150km between Abu Dhabi and Dubai – will pay for itself in “eight to 15 years”.

“It will be paying for itself and then it will be generating profits for the country,” he said. “So it is not only fast but also very efficient."

The system uses electro-magnetic levitation engineering to carry pods at high speeds, thus reducing journey times considerably.

Gresta said that a capsule which will be deployed on the project is being tested in Toulouse, France, on a prototype track before being used in the UAE.

"Hyperloop can quickly become profitable. It presents the ability to build a mass transit system that would not require government subsidies," he added.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • US parking tools refreshed
    March 9, 2018
    The US Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and National Parking Association have agreed to work together on updating their respective Parking Generation Manual and Shared Parking tools, last revised in 2010 and 2009. Fresh analyses in the former will differentiate levels of demand in rural, general urban/suburban, dense multi-use urban and core city centre locations, said ITE CEO Jeffrey F Paniati
    Read More
  • Cost benefit: Wichita eases workzone congestion
    July 8, 2019
    Achieving higher diversion rates has helped one Kansas city to make traffic flow more efficient around workzones. David Crawford examines what’s behind a 10:1 benefit-to-cost ratio in Wichita Around 10% of highway congestion in the US results from delays in workzones, leading to an estimated annual loss of $700 million in fuel costs alone. The lack of accessible real-time traffic information to help motorists minimise their inconvenience – particularly at peak times - is a major contributor. One solut
    Read More
  • AVs will increase traffic in overcrowded downtown areas, says study
    July 10, 2018
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will reduce the number of cars and overall travel times in cities but potentially worsen conditions in downtown areas, says the World Economic Forum. The findings come from a study conducted alongside the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Called Reshaping Urban Mobility with Autonomous Vehicles: Lessons from the City of Boston, the partnership recommends city and state governments encourage higher sharing of AVs - and avoid significantly moving away from mass transit systems. A
    Read More
  • Arthur D Little's reviews 100 mobility systems worldwide in study
    April 16, 2018
    The majority of 100 cities analysed still have major potential for improvement to cope with the urban mobility challenges ahead, according to the third edition of the Future of Mobility study published by Arthur D. Little. Called The Future of Mobility 3.0 – Reinventing mobility in the era of disruption and creativity, the report was launched at the Union of Public Transport (UITP) Asia-Pacific Assembly in Taipei. For the inquiry, an updated version of the company's Urban Mobility Index ranked the cities
    Read More

Highlighted Content