ABU DHABI // The plan to build a hyperloop link between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain received further backing on Sunday.
Sheikh Falah bin Zayed signed an agreement with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to support the project.
The California company is a third of the way through a six-month feasibility study to explore locations for stations and tracks after signing an agreement with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport in November.
Sheikh Falah’s sponsorship has allowed the hyperloop company to surpass US$100 million (Dh367m) in investments, said chairman Bibop Gresta.
He believed that once government approval was granted the first project could begin in a litle over three years.
HTT has signed agreements with more than 20 governments to conduct feasibility studies into the concept.
“In this region there is a vision and once Abu Dhabi sets its mind on doing something, it does it,” Mr Gresta said.
He did not provide the potential cost of the project, but said it would cost about $40m per kilometre to build. Since Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are 145km apart, that would suggest a cost of nearly $6 billion.
HTT is a rival to Hyperloop One, another US company that is conducting a feasibility study with the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai into building a hyperloop link between the city and Abu Dhabi.
Moustafa Samir, an adviser to Sheikh Falah, said the partnership illustrated his desire to support projects that strengthened Abu Dhabi on a regional and international level.
He said the project “promises to support and develop the emirate’s infrastructure, and contribute to driving economic and social activity in Abu Dhabi, and in Al Ain in particular”.
The hyperloop concept, in which a magnetically levitated pod is propelled through a near-vacuum tube at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometres an hour, was proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk, the American engineer and entrepreneur.
But it has yet to be fully tested, and many scientists have suggested it faces engineering and financial challenges that may make it impracticable.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
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RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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5pm: Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Tahoonah, Richard Mullen (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m | Winner: Ajwad, Gerald Avranche, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: Duc De Faust, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m | Winner: Shareef KB, Fabrice Veron, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,500m | Winner: Bainoona, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
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The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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On sale: Available for preorder now