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Ultrafast hyperloop set to run in Expo 2020

Hyperloop, the ultrafast transport system that carries passenger and cargo pods at speeds of around 1,200 kmph, will serve Expo 2020, a senior engineer working on the mega project has said.

Capable of running a pod every 10 seconds, the hyperloop is expected to carry 15,000 passengers per hour per direction, almost double the average hourly footfall estimated at the Expo 2020, reported Gulf News.

“We would like to see people riding on a hyperloop to Expo 2020. We are ready to deliver well before 2020. The technology is ready and all we need to do is put things together. Though we still haven’t finalized the exact route, we will most certainly serve the Expo,” Colin Rhys, creative director of Hyperloop One that is doing a feasibility of study for the superfast transit system in Dubai, reportedly said.

Last month, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed an agreement with Hyperloop One, the US-based firm that is developing the high-speed technology, to start the feasibility study on the construction and operation of the futuristic transit network, the report said.

“We are glad to have partners like RTA who are supporting us with regulations and standards. We are working together on the field to identify the possible route alignments and hopefully we will finalize the corridor by the end of this month. We are studying a route between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but in the first phase we are working on an intra-Dubai route that is likely to run parallel to E311 (Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road),” he added.

The feasibility study is in its fifth week now and apart from looking at route alignment and right-of-way issues, it is also exploring ways to integrate with the existing master plans for 2020 and 2030.

Rhys, who is leading the project in Dubai, said that the initial network will be closer to 40 kilometers, almost double the distance that was reported last month, said the news portal.

“Basically what we are planning to build is a 20-kilometer tube with two lines going out in each direction, and a large facility in the center, where we will do our regulatory testing and passenger experience trials as well as the safety work and diagnostic testing of the actual architecture of the system,” Rhys was quoted as saying.

“The idea is to have a main line running along the Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road all the time at 1,100 kmph, which is eventually going to run down to Abu Dhabi. And then we will have these acceleration and de-acceleration loops that would go into the city and connect with areas like Dubai South, Downtown Dubai and other areas. These loops will run at lesser speeds and connect people to their final destinations or to the connecting metro stations, a tram or a bus,” he reportedly said.

He added that the total network including the loops could be around 40 kilometers.

The 20-kilometer long main corridor, running parallel to the Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road with the help of the 20 kilometers of connecting loops, is likely to serve areas like Dubai South, Dubai Investment Park (DIP), Dubai Sports City, Motor City, etc, the report pointed out.

Though, the two ends of the corridor are not finalized yet, one of the terminus is likely to be either the Expo 2020 site or Dubai South, it said.

It will take only between two to four minutes to travel on the corridor as against 30 to 40 minutes it takes to travel the same distance on the current transport system, reported Gulf News.

“We want to give time back to people. With all this development and urban lifestyle what we have lost is the time, especially on the road. We want to give this lost time back to people which they can enjoy or utilize in a more productive way,” Rhys was quoted as saying.

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