We can’t be alone in being fascinated with the hyperloop technology that is due to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
But it has always seemed like the reality of the super-fast transport system is a long way off.
Well, according to Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Jay Walder, in an exclusive chat with our sister title Arabian Business, it could be happening soon.
In the interview, Walder says riding in a hyperloop pod will be comparable to riding on a smooth, turbulence-free flight, but without the hassles of going through an airport, and that testing on transporting human beings will happen “sooner than you think”.
He tells Arabian Business: “Obviously, we know that this is the question that’s on everybody’s tongue.” But wouldn’t give a more specific timeline.
He adds: “It’s effectively [going to be moving] at the speed of an airplane, completely smooth, with no turbulence taking place. If you were holding a cup of coffee at 1,000 km per hour, you should be able to drink that cup.
“You’ll take a seat and be going point to point, and it will be perfectly smooth.”
Walder – the former CEO of Hong Kong transit company MTR Corporation and New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority – also says ticket prices are likely to be similar to train tickets in major cities.
“We look at it as being comparable to a train ticket, rather than comparable to the cost of a plane ticket,” he adds. “We are absolutely seeing this as mass transportation. Our goal is to be used by millions and millions of people.”
Of the various companies developing hyperloop technology, Virgin Hyperloop One is the only one to have constructed a full-scale test track and to have completed hundreds of test runs.
Watch below to see how it’s done.
