Dubai Streamlines China's Sky Train Futuristic Transport

JAKARTA - Dubai authorities signed a preliminary agreement with the manufacturer of Sky Train, a Chinese-manufactured mode of transportation, to explore the possibility of delivering a revolutionary transport network.

According to The National News, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) together with the Zhong Tang Sky Railway Group as the manufacturer of Sky Train will explore the futuristic transportation system.

The Zhong Tang Group was behind the pilot project in Chengdu, southwest China some time ago. Meanwhile, the sky pod system is one of the five modes of transportation being considered for Dubai.

"Realizing this goal requires the development of advanced futuristic transportation systems, continuous improvement of Dubai's transport network to encourage people to use public transport," said RTA Rail Division CEO Abdul Mohsen Younes.

"The ultimate goal is to rank Dubai as the best place to live and do business, a destination for visitors, to be the smartest and happiest city in the world."

Powered by lithium batteries, the Sky Train test ride was built in Chengdu, with a 1.4-kilometer track near Shuangliu Airport. Hanging at a height of 5 meters, the Sky Train is capable of traveling up to 60 km per hour with a carrying capacity of up to 230 passengers at once.

Dubai already has a two-line metro network, both underground and elevated, which was launched a decade ago to tackle traffic congestion. Meanwhile, the Emirates also has a monorail service at Palm Jumeirah and a tram service.

The RTA deal comes a day after the first passengers were given a trial of the new Sharjah sky rail at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park. This mode of transport was developed by USky Transport of Belarus.

The test track stretches 400 meters long, serves to carry luxury passenger pods at speeds of up to 50 km per hour, and has the capability to transport cargo containers.

Having signed an exploration of cooperation before the construction of a permanent commercial line, the 2.4 km trial is scheduled to be carried out in November.

To note, with these two agreements, it proves that Dubai is ogled as a product market for modern mass transit systems. Previously, there had been trials of a hyperloop system capable of reaching speeds of 1,080 kilometers per hour in a vacuum tube.

When Dubai, UAE's 2040 Urban Master Plan was unveiled earlier this year, Younes predicted a population boom from around 3.3 million in 2020 to 5.8 million in 2040.

"RTA aligns its efforts with the national agenda to maintain a sustainable environment in terms of air quality and dependence on clean energy," he explained.

"Signing an agreement with a number of specialist companies in the development of transportation systems, will identify the technology used in this kind of mass transit facility," he concluded.