Dubai has always been the symbol of future for the whole world. What’s new this time? Well, a full scale prototype model of Virgin Hyperloop One is displayed as a part of UAE’s Innovation Week by the Roads and Transportation Authority. What’s so interesting? This Hyperloop pod will propel the passengers at the top speed of 1000 km/hr. To give you a reference, you can now reach Abu Dhabi from Dubai just in 15 minutes. This pod will obviously be travelling in a vacuum tube with magnets. Hyperloop pod will run over the ground for most of the routes and would go in the tunnels to reach both the cities.
Virgin Hyperloop One, owned by Richard Branson has proposed this new pod rout. He had announced a similar project in India last year. Virgin Hyperloop had secured $50 million in initial funding in 2016, from Dubai-based capital firm, World and Caspian Venture Capital. This project was predicted to be completed by 2020.
Rob Lloyd, newly appointed CEO of Virgin Hyperloop spoke about the future of Hyperloop in UAE. He said that ‘Dubai – Abu Dhabi route’ is just one of the wider planned routes in GCC network. He believes this route has the potential to transform the mobility of goods and of people, and have a dramatic impact on the economical development of the region. Lloyd revealed that Virgin Hyperloop One has closely been working and planning things with the RTA for over a year to examine costs, ticket prices, and best routes.
Rob Lloyd didn’t open up about the eventual cost of this 4150km transport link. But if Forbes is to be trusted, it reported in one the company presentation that the Dubai to Abu Dhabi route would cost somewhere around $4.8 billion to $52m a mile.
Fun fact, this Hyperloop concept was originally developed by billionaire, genius, Elon Musk who had proposed a route between LA and San Francisco, the USA which he believed could be built for $11m per mile.
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