Of all Dubai's mega-projects, this is perhaps the coolest yet. And the most futuristic. Dubai could be the first in the world with a Hyperloop transport system.
Originally the brainchild of Tesla founder Elon Musk, the Hyperloop is a concept of capsule transport that floats inside a kind of pipeline where the pressure is so low that air resistance is almost non-existent.
It may sound crazy, but the benefits are many. The fact that the technology provides clean, emission-free transport is an important factor.
Another is the extreme speed. With a top speed of over 1200 kilometres per hour, the journey is actually much faster than by air, where the normal cruising speed is between 800 and 900 kilometres per hour.
One idea is that the Hyperloop could be connected to the public road network via stations to which people travel in self-driving capsules. The capsules load themselves into the tube and then whiz away.
Hyperloop between Dubai and Abu Dhabi
In mid-November, the Dubai Transport Authority signed an agreement with one of the two companies working on the technology to study the possibility of linking Dubai with Abu Dhabi via Hyperloop.
If it becomes a reality, it means that the travel time between the two cities would be reduced from over an hour today - by car - to 12 minutes with Hyperloop. This film gives an idea of what the future of transport could look like:
The first full-scale tests of the technology will take place next year and it is believed that it could be ready for commercial use within five years.
