Prototype for Hyperloop unveiled in Dubai

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority has offered a glimpse of a first design for the Hyperloop to be unveiled this month.

Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said on Wednesday that the RTA - in collaboration with Virgin Hyperloop One - would exhibit the design as part of UAE Innovation Month alongside initiatives such as autonomous pods, high-frequency express buses, and the framework building Urban Mobility Innovation Index (UMii).

He said the two companies have already begun identifying potential routes for the Hyperloop its initial design model.

“ RTA and Virgin Hyperloop One Company have made considerable progress in the technical, engineering and economic feasibility study of the project," he said.

The concept, in which a magnetically levitated pod is propelled through a near-vacuum tube at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometres an hour, was originally proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk, the American engineer and entrepreneur.

The technology has since been adopted by several rival companies and has yet to be fully tested. Many scientists have suggested it faces engineering and financial challenges that may make it impracticable.

But should tests prove successful, Hyperloop will cut travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi to as little as 12 minutes, and will carry 10,000 passengers per hour in both directions.

“When introduced, the Hyperloop technology will impact the town planning and the availability of parking spaces," said Mr Al Tayer.

"It will revolutionise people mobility between destinations in the city, logistical hubs such as airports and ports, and shipping patterns."