Last Updated on 22/11/2021 by Sanskriti
According to Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of Emirati global logistics business DP World, the Hyperloop, a high-speed mass transit system for passengers and freight, would likely be introduced first in India or Saudi Arabia before being introduced in the UAE.
Sulayem claimed high-speed transportation would become a reality in many areas of the world by the end of this decade while speaking on the sidelines of the Dubai Expo 2020, a six-month event that began on October 1.
When asked about the time scales for the Virgin Hyperloop, Sulayem said, “I will see it either in India at first, or in Saudi Arabia at the moment. Our hope is that when we achieve economies of scale and you have long routes and it is popular, probably for the speed of an airplane you will pay the price of a truck.”
Several firms are actively working on the technology, including Virgin Hyperloop, in which Dubai-based port operator DP World owns a controlling share.
Hyperloop is defined as a sealed tube or series of tubes with low air pressure through which a pod may travel by little or no resistance from air or friction.
In November of last year, the firm conducted the first human test in a hyperloop pod.
Sulayem told CNN in an interview at the Expo 2020 site, where the firm is displaying a full-scale Hyperloop pod, that “it’s not decades, it’s years.”
According to DP World, the Hyperloop can drastically reduce inventory transportation times, reduce completed products inventory, and reduce warehouse space and costs by 25%.
Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, revealed plans for a hyperloop system connecting Pune and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra in February 2018. The coronavirus outbreak has put a stop to their preparations.
