In recent years, experts and specialists in the transportation sector have been talking about the creation of a new supersonic transmission, known as the Hyperlop, which can be compared to a high-speed train, but environmentally friendly. It does not use fuel, Carbon emissions.

The development and upgrading of the transport sector is one of the most important strategic goals for developed countries. This sector represents one of the main locomotives for building the foundations of economic and social development. However, the construction of a sustainable transport and communication sector remains fraught with many challenges, notably high costs and environmental risks, the promulgation of the required legislation, as well as the provision of transport vehicles that meet the highest safety standards.

At a time when reports and research confirm that the way ahead of developed companies is still long to succeed in the establishment of lines and stations for the Hyperlub, used as a rail instead, announced the company «Hyperlop Virgin One» it is just around the corner to complete the path to the pilot operation of the Hyperlop system between two cities In India, by the first quarter of this year.

In response to a question by Emirates Al-Youm on the details of the project for the construction of a passenger line in the UAE and the details of its implementation, the company has continued to work on the project in the UAE, expected completion of the first stages of implementation by 2020.

Last September, Virgin Hyperlink One announced the opening of an official office in Dubai. The announcement came about six months after the unveiling of a new project or system called DP World Cargospeed, Will take place around the world within 48 hours, and people will move quickly to the speed of flights, but at land transport prices, according to DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem during a press conference that revealed the project. DP World is one of the most important partners and investors of Virgin Hyperlink One in the UAE.

Virgin Hyperlink One has confirmed that the UAE environment is a suitable and suitable environment for the HyperLoop system, which the company is currently developing.

"The UAE's geographical terrain is wide and extends across its regions and cities," said Amjad Mukhlati, Emirates Country Manager, Emirates Emirates. "This is a very suitable environment for the construction of infrastructure for pipelines and hyperlube pipelines. He added that the UAE has an important advantage: its legislative environment is encouraging and stimulating for the introduction of a system for licensing the commercial operation of this type of transport. The UAE leadership is keen to develop systems and take measures that encourage government and private institutions to innovate and lead the business.

In response to a question about the safety standards available in the Heberlop system, Makhlatti stressed that the company has a lot of work over the coming years to be able to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of its operating systems, but it hopes to be able to lay the foundation stone in the project by the middle of 2020 Which will serve passenger and cargo transport systems.

He considered that the possibility of achieving this goal depends on the speed of completion of the preparation and approval of the legislation required to put these systems in service, asserting that there is interaction and approvals and positive responses from governments worldwide, including the UAE, regarding the issuance of approvals and required legislation.

According to Makhlati, the technology used by the company can be built on, and is directly connected to the last mile, ie the final destinations of passengers, and therefore can be easily linked to the rest of public transport in the Emirate of Dubai and the UAE.

He added that the company is looking forward to connecting the system lines with other public transport stations, self-transport units and the transport infrastructure available at the airports, stressing that the success of the company in establishing the hyperlop lines will support the strategic plan of Dubai, By 2030.

Clean train

In order to define the idea of ​​the hyperlube system in a simplified way, it can be said that its outer shape resembles a capsule that is fired as a bullet in a hollow tube of air, in which gravity reaches its lowest level. The capsule moves inside it by an electromagnetic force, which can be carried from one point to another at a speed of up to 1700 kilometers per hour.

The capsule travels at high speeds on a compressed airbag, not under the walls of the tube, by a magnetic field generated by an electric generator that derives its energy from solar energy. Each capsule carries two or more lithium ion batteries to ensure that the capsule reaches its destination. The hyperlube can be linked to the world's major residential centers for less time, with the United States and China on a two-hour trip.

The idea and design of the hyperlube was launched by American engineer Elon Mask, who predicted the construction of a single pipe at about 10% of the cost of the high-speed train and a quarter of the cost of paved roads.

Feasibility

According to Elon Mask, the cost of constructing a 350-mile-high Heberlope line between Los Angeles and San Francisco will range from $ 6 to $ 7.5 billion, , And that this will set the price of the transfer ticket between the two cities to exceed $ 20 in one direction.

Economic experts and researchers confirm that evaluating the feasibility of implementing any project, whether service or investment, is mainly related to the material cost of the project.

Dr. Osama Suwaidan, Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of the UAE, told Emirates Al Youm that the feasibility of establishing this type of transport relates to the cost and financial return which is a very important and influential factor in all other economic sectors, not only in the transport sector And transportation, because corporate profits are revenue minus cost.

On the consumer side, Suwaidan stressed that the project is capable of achieving a quantum leap in a number of areas of life, provided that the service is provided at a lower cost than the current means of transportation. The cost price is suitable for the customers and passengers used for the transport service. Daily use will relieve many of the burden on them, especially the use of time, and disposal of psychological and health damage resulting from traffic congestion, as a result of driving their own vehicles in the transition to and from work.

Suwaidan said the project could benefit material transport companies, including freight and document carriers, because it would reduce expenses by shortening the effort and time.

He pointed to other economic benefits, as a result of easing the pressure on the main streets, because the adoption of the Heberlop system as a means of transport, will reduce the number of vehicles used daily, especially on roads that are busiest and densest. "When this type of transport is available among people, this will reduce the pressure on road consumption and the cost of maintaining it, which will reduce the financial burden on the state."

He said that the positive effects of the adoption of the system that it can also affect the distribution of the best manpower and specialized competencies and expertise at the level of one country, as a result of enabling workers to move easily and quickly, and thus will reflect a marked decline in wage differences, To its height.

Suwaidan said that the implementation of the project can produce positive results in some societies, where women find it difficult to get out of work due to lack of time and the weakness of private logistics, such as transportation and access to employment availability centers, which will be reflected in the increase in the number of female The labor market, and the consequent positive effects on social and economic life.

He also mentioned some negative results, which can be produced in the automotive trade sector. For example, sales of cars, both new and used, can fall as road users adopt a fast and economical means of transport, and many people lose their vehicles.

Technical barriers

According to experts in the field of physics and engineering, the idea behind the work of the Heberlop can be applied along the paths of tens of kilometers, but the reality of the application of hundreds of kilometers is a challenge needs scenarios, to meet a number of factors related to the possibility of air discharge inside the tube In long-distance straight lines.

Researchers point out that there are tens of kilograms of atmospheric pressure that threatens to hit any room with a vacuum of air, such as the capsule that will run the train.

They warn that breaking any element of the vacuum train capsule from the air, and your resistance to a great deal of external pressure, may break it like a cardboard sheet, because the outside air enters it.

Health Impact

Some reports, based on the expert opinion, emphasized the need to work on a capsule launch and stop system that is smooth, gradual and non-disruptive to the movement of human bodies as they move from moments of stillness to moving at speeds of up to 1,700 kilometers per hour.

She pointed out that the exposure of human bodies to the amount of speed driving at a speed equivalent to the speed of sound and within seconds can cause serious damage to the internal organs of the body.

However, in response to a question about the health-related suitability of people with heart disease, or for the elderly, HyperLoop Virgin One confirmed that the Hyperlop ride was not unlike the plane, thus posing no threat to the health of passengers.

Strategic partnership

Announced in April the signing of Hyperlink Transformation Technologies, a strategic partnership with Aldar Properties, to start the construction of the HyperLoop system, the XO Square Innovation Center and the HyperLoop Visitors Center in Abu Dhabi.

During the announcement, the company announced its intention to set up the system line in stages from 10 kilometers as an initial stage, with the intention to implement further development projects aimed at establishing a commercial hyperlop network covering the country and beyond.

A known means of transport

What is the possibility of the Hyperlop joining the other traditional means used to transport passengers and goods, whether in the UAE or worldwide? Do the public know what the hyperlop is? Are they looking to use it one day, and is there an economic feasibility of setting up lines for it and can it complete the legislation required to operate it in a short time? Can it be a convenient and healthy transportation, especially for people with serious illnesses, or for the elderly? More importantly, is it a safe way to transport millions of people through cities every day?

The Emirates today began to search for answers in a survey conducted through social media, asking a question to the public to find out if they knew what the hyperlop was. % Do not know what is, and 4% believe it is a jet plane.

Seventy percent of the respondents said that the project for the construction of hyperlube lines in the UAE is applicable, while 14% said that it is possible to implement it after enacting the legislation, compared to 16% who found it not feasible in the UAE.

44% said it was safe, 35% said it would not be for years, and 21% said it was not a safe means of transport.