Simply Abu Dhabi XXX

4 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The concept behind how the Hyperloop works is fairly simple as it comprises a series of small, linked passenger pods inside a single carriage that’s placed in an airtight tube. Think of it like a train’s carriages joined together and entering an airtight, enclosed railway. Power comes from magnets placed at regular intervals along the tube to propel the pods forward. The tubes house a low-pressure environment, around the pod with a cushion of air that allows the pod to move safely at high speed. In the simplest terms, if you’ve placed two magnets together and they’ve repelled against each other, pushing one forward, that’s basically how it moves. By August 2016, Dubai’s DP World and the Roads and Transport Authority agreed to evaluate a link between Dubai and Abu Dhabi that would cut the journey to 12 minutes and the first images of the first full- scale test track were revealed at the Middle East Rail event in Dubai the following March. ‘This is an opportunity to help transform the UAE from a technology consumer to a technology creator, incubating expertise for a new global industry in line with the UAE’s Vision 2021,’ Chairman of the RTA, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer said. ‘With Hyperloop One, we will create a new means of transportation, keeping our region at the forefront of technology and innovation,’ he said. Virgin Group’s founder, Sir Richard Branson was named chairman following additional funding that brought the project’s budget up to $295 million by the end of 2017 and with that came the renaming of the project as Virgin Hyperloop One. A few of the benefits of Hyperloop include higher standards of safety than a passenger jet with close to half the construction costs and lower maintenance compared to high-speed rail. The company estimates that around 4,000 vehicles travel every day between Abu Dhabi and Dubai with traffic congestion costing the economy $800 million in lost working hours. Reducing this commute to 12 minutes opens a new realm of options and the company claims that an investment in a UAEHyperloop network could unlock economic value 3.5 to 4 times over high-speed rail. In February this year, in collaboration with the Dubai RTA, the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, unveiled the Virgin Hyperloop One transport pod during Innovation Week.