Work on Abu Dhabi Hyperloop system to start next year
... two years, Aldar Properties reveals, as prospect of getting from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in minutes draws closer
A landmark deal signed yesterday day brings a commercial Hyperloop system in Abu Dhabi one step closer to reality.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and UAE developer Aldar Properties finalised an agreement to fast-track the high-speed transport technology with the aim of bringing the country’s first commercial system to the capital within two years.
A 10-kilometre track connects Alghadeer, a new residential development bordering Dubai, to Yas Island, airport terminals and Al Ain, is scheduled to begin construction next year.
Using electro-magnetic levitation engineering to carry pods at 1,200 kilometres an hour, the technology promises to reduce travel times between emirates from hours to just minutes
“Alghadeer sits at such a strategic point within the UAE – close to major growth areas of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, that it makes sense to pair it with rapid transport opportunities,” said Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief executive of Aldar Properties.
The Dh10 billion development will include 611 affordable homes starting from Dh290,000.
“We believe that Hyperloop technology can have a major positive impact on the lives of all of those living within our communities, and we look forward to this possibility becoming a reality,” Mr Al Dhiyebi said.
The plan is to build a network within Abu Dhabi and then start connecting the Emirates.
“The Hyperloop officially starts today from Al Ghadeer and we will then begin to connect the rest of the Emirates,” said Bibop Gresta, chairman of HyperloopTT.
“Several routes are under consideration, but we want to connect the airport, Al Ain and Saudi Arabia.”
A commercial high-speed Hyperloop system is to be built in the next two years in Abu Dhabi, under a landmark deal signed by Aldar Properties and one of the leading companies behind the technology.
A 10-kilometre Hyperloop transport track, which uses electro-magnetic levitation engineering to carry pods at speeds of 1,200 kilometres an hour, will be constructed in a development area between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
A transport hub and a socalled XO Square Innovation Centre, for ongoing research and development by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, the California company behind the project, will be developed in Aldar’s Seih Al Sdeirah landbank.
The site is close to Al Ghadeer village, where Aldar this week announced Dh10 billion expansion plans to build 611 affordable homes, starting from Dh290,000.
It is also near the Expo 2020 site and Al Maktoum International Airport.
The Hyperloop technology promises to reduce travel times between the emirates from hours to just minutes.
“We are delighted to be working with HyperloopTT as they look to bring one of the world’s most revolutionary transport technologies to Abu Dhabi,” said Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief executive of Aldar Properties.
“Al Ghadeer sits at such a strategic point within the UAE – close to major growth areas of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, that it makes sense to pair it with rapid transport opportunities.
“We believe that Hyperloop technology can have a major positive impact on the lives of all of those living in our communities, and we look forward to this possibility becoming a reality.”
Details of the joint project for a high-speed connection between Al Ghadeer and potentially Yas Island, airport terminals and Al Ain, were announced at the Adnec Cityscape property exhibition.
“This agreement creates the basis for the first commercial Hyperloop system in the world here in the Emirates, with the goal of eventually connecting Abu Dhabi to Al Ain, Dubai, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” said Bibop Gresta, chairman of HyperloopTT.
“With regulatory support, we hope the first section will be operational in time for Expo 2020.”
HyperloopTT plans construction of the line in several phases starting with the 10km allocation, with further development aimed at creating a commercial Hyperloop network across the Emirates and beyond.
Earlier this month, HyperloopTT began construction of its first full-scale passenger and freight prototype system in Toulouse, France.
Developers promise the technology will be affordable and sustainable, using efficient and renewable energy sources.
The company expects delivery of the first passenger capsule later this year. It will be assembled and optimised in Toulouse prior to use in the UAE.
A similar innovation centre to the one planned for Al Ghadeer recently launched in Brazil, alongside plans for a freight Hyperloop system to move iron ore and other minerals around the country at high speed.
Freight terminals could also become a natural progression for the technology in the UAE, developers said.
HyperloopTT has carried out extensive studies, using global experts in the field, to present a viable plan to the UAE. With government backing in the form of permits and regulatory assistance, the company has surged ahead of its competitors in the race to bring the technology to a commercial market.
Competitors at Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop One have proposed a similar system for Saudi Arabia to reduce journey times from Riyadh to Jeddah from 10 hours to just 76 minutes.
That project is planned for 2030, while studies have also been done on a potential highspeed line connecting Pune and Mumbai in India. With the rapid development of HyperloopTT’s passenger pods and transport tubes in France, the company looks the most likely to bring the first commercial line into public use.
“A forward-thinking nation like the UAE is ideal for building the most revolutionary, most efficient, and fastest transport system in the world,” said Dirk Ahlborn, chief executive of HyperloopTT.
“With this historic agreement in Abu Dhabi, we take a big step towards the world’s first commercial system.”
The first track, transport hub and development centre will be built at Seih Al Sdeirah, near Al Ghadeer Village