Virgin to build 35km Saudi hyperloop test track

Virgin Hyperloop One is working with Saudi Arabia’s Economic City Authority (ECA) to conduct a study to build a 35km test and certification track. The company claims its technology can reduce travel times between cities: it says the trip from Riyadh to the Red Sea port of Jeddah would be slashed from 10 hours to 76 minutes, for example, with the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi route cut from 8.5 hours to 48 minutes. The study will take place in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), located 100km north of Jeddah. It w
August 1, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Virgin 8535 Hyperloop One is working with Saudi Arabia’s Economic City Authority (ECA) to conduct a study to build a 35km test and certification track.

The company claims its technology can reduce travel times between cities: it says the trip from Riyadh to the Red Sea port of Jeddah would be slashed from 10 hours to 76 minutes, for example, with the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi route cut from 8.5 hours to 48 minutes.

The study will take place in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), located 100km north of Jeddah. It will also include the construction of an R&D development centre and manufacturing facility.

Mohanud A. Helal, secretary general of ECA, says:” Having Hyperloop at KAEC is going to act as a catalyst for a Saudi Silicon Valley effect and galvanise our software development, high technology research and manufacturing industries.”

As part of the project, the Prince Mohammad bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship will publish an academic paper outlining the economic impact of a Hyperloop Centre of Excellence in KAEC. Additionally, experts from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology will visit the Virgin Hyperloop One testing facility in Nevada to conduct a technical review.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Study shows Irish speed cameras provide five-fold benefit
    April 30, 2015
    Ireland’s mobile speed cameras have been shown to save lives and money but face a legal challenge. David Crawford reports. In 2011 the Republic of Ireland introduced mobile safety cameras on dangerous roads which have, according to the country’s first cost-benefit analysis of the technology, saved an average of 23 lives a year.
    Read More
  • Enforcement suppliers highlight industry best practice
    March 15, 2012
    Major suppliers of enforcement technology highlight the countries, regions or cities that they consider to be leading the way in reduction of road traffic violations. The French government’s ambitious programme of enforcing traffic law violations has proven to be an unrivalled success and is continuing to bring improvements in road safety with innovative enforcement technology.
    Read More
  • Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    December 6, 2017
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
    Read More
  • Jenoptik to install enforcement systems in Oman
    September 14, 2012
    German traffic solutions manufacturer, Jenoptik, which has already successfully installed systems in several Middle East states, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia, is to equip a further 600 sites in Oman with their latest speed and red-light monitoring systems. They will also provide assistance with planning, carry out training, upgrade existing systems, supply and install software for an efficient incident processing centre and support the commissioning process.
    Read More

Highlighted Content