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Hyperloop TT brings the future of travel to the UAE and beyond

 
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6 Nov 2017

Imagine Abu Dhabi - Al Ain in 15 minutes. Abu Dhabi - Dubai in 12 minutes. HyperloopTT is bringing the ultra high-speed transport system to life. “It is coming, and it is real,” confirms Bibop G. Gresta, Chairman and Co-Founder of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT), ahead of his presentation at The Big 5’s Excellence in Construction Summit on November 26, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

“We are currently working on eight projects around the world,” says Gresta, talking about agreements that HyperloopTT is carrying out in different countries. Today, the French city of Toulouse, along with Abu Dhabi, Jakarta, Seoul, and India’s Andhra Pradesh, are all working towards building a HyperloopTT system.

Hyperloop TT brings the future of travel to the UAE and beyond

The first passengers will be able to travel in a Hyperloop™ 36 months after the conditional permit approval. Hyperloop is safe, fast and efficient: the drastic reduction of air in the tube along with magnetic levitation and electric propulsion allows capsules to move through the tube with nearly zero friction, accelerating to airplane speeds on the ground.

“Speed is what I call ‘a very nice consequence’ of the Hyperloop™, but efficiency is probably the best outcome of this new technology,” says Gresta. “The feasibility studies we are conducting prove that the Hyperloop™ transportation system is not only doable, but also sustainable and profitable.”

While high-speed trains are energy intensive, the Hyperloop™ system can produce more energy than it consumes, using a combination of renewable energy sources including solar, wind and kinetic. Hyperloop’s efficiency also consists in being able to transport passengers in capsules comfortably and quickly.

Based on initial studies, building a Hyperloop™ costs between USD 20 and 40 million per kilometre. Looking at the cost per passenger, this technology proves very competitive, being as low as USD 5 per person. “The Hyperloop ™ can repay the initial investments in 8-10 years, depending on where you build it.”

Moreover, “While high-speed trains or rails in general face some real issues in the local climate, with great temperature excursion and sand, the HyperloopTT system is completely protected from any external environment agent,” Gresta explains. “People are shielded in a vacuum system that is air-conditioned, and we can guarantee throughput no matter what happens outside. This simply could be the safest transportation system ever invented by humans.”


Regulation is Hyperloop’s number one challenge today. “We are currently developing the regulation and certification framework that this new system needs, in cooperation with a certification agency, an insurance company and governments,” says Gresta.

On November 26 in Dubai, Bibop G. Gresta will deliver a keynote speech titled “Hyperloop™ is real: how will the Hyperloop™ idea be brought to life?” at the Excellence in Construction Summit presented by The Big 5, the region’s largest and most influential event for the construction industry.

Josine Heijmans, Portfolio Event Director of The Big 5, comments, “We’re extremely proud to host the co-founder of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies at The Big 5 this year. Bringing together under one roof visionaries and forward-thinking leaders, the Excellence in Construction Summit will support the development of strategic innovation in the built environment in the GCC region and beyond.”

Running from 26 to 29 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the 38th edition of The Big 5 showcases 360-degree building solutions, and offers a broad education agenda including the Excellence in Construction Summit and over 70 free-to-attend and CPD-certified Big 5 Talks delivered by industry experts. Organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, last year’s edition of The Big 5 was the largest to date, attracting over 78,579 participants and 2,586 exhibiting companies from 59 countries.



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