BIG / Vimeo
HIGH-SPEED TRANSPORT between Abu Dhabi and Dubai will take just 12 minutes from 2020.
That is if an ambitious plan for a Hyperloop come true. The plan was formalised by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Hyperloop One and would move people three times quicker than flying.
The autonomous system would see passengers loaded into pods which are then put into tubes which are sent through tubes at high speeds.
Last month, Hyperloop One signed a deal with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Bjarke Ingels of BIG says the plan will be a completely new paradigm in mass transit. Passengers will be able to demand travel because pods are small, frequent and have a high departure rate.
“With Hyperloop One we have given form to a mobility ecosystem of pods and portals, where the waiting hall has vanished along with waiting itself. Hyperloop One combines collective commuting with individual freedom at near supersonic speed.
“We are heading for a future where our mental map of the city is completely reconfigured, as our habitual understanding of distance and proximity – time and space – is warped by this virgin form of travel.”
According to BIG, the design of the scheme is based on a study of “how an urban and inter-city transport network should integrate with existing infrastructure.”
The pods are contained within a transporter, a pressure vessel attached to a chassis for levitation and propulsion that can accelerate the transporter to 1,100km/h.
The pods operate autonomously from the transporter, which means they are not limited to the portal area and can move on regular roads and pick up passengers at any point.
Read: A test track for an 800mph train is being built
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