[06.07.2021]
uSky Test & Certification Centre at Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) was visited by official delegates from the UAE government as well as Saudi Arabian businessmen to announce plans to build an innovative transportation system in 2021. "The Line" will be part of NEOM Linear City Project.
The UAE government delegation was led by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, and H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Saudi businessmen delegation was led by Dr. John Fahd Touma, Director of ERI, one of the country's largest civil engineering companies.
Both delegations were hosted by Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Chief Executive Officer of SRTIP.
The visitors appraised uCar luxury electric passenger pod and the above-ground transport complex built in December 2020 for certification of three transportation solutions in the MENA region.
The passenger above-ground transportation system, which provides for passenger traffic of 50,000 people per hour on each elevated overpass with a cost of $0.1 per pass.-km at speeds of up to 150 km/h. uSky technologies reduce the cost of construction and operation of the transport system by more than one third than a standard monorail, by half compared to a railroad, and by five times compared to a highway.
The above-ground cargo transportation system provides for cargo flow of standard freight containers with a cost of $0.01 per t-km at speeds of up to 130 km/h. The competitive advantage of uSky solution is loading and unloading operations in ports and logistics hubs that occur "on-the-go" without the construction of additional stations.
And finally, the above-ground high-speed passenger transport system, which reaches speeds of 300-500 km/h. The engineering design feature of the structure itself and transfer of the high-speed route to the second level enable quick transportation without compromising passenger comfort and economic feasibility.
The delegates showed great interest in the electric above-ground transport system, drawing attention to the MENA region's growing attraction for innovative transportation complexes that meet linear cities' requirements. These linear cities are of particular interest to MENA country governments.
On January 10, 2021, His Highness Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud announced the launch of the ambitious project "the Line" in the future NEOM city in Riyadh.
"We (Saudi Arabia - author's note) are to transform traditional cities into cities of such technological type (linear cities - author's note), cities of the future. Today, as Head of the NEOM Board of Directors, I present to you - the Line. It is a city with a population of 1 mln. people, 170 km long, with 95% of nature untouched within its borders; a city without cars, traffic jams, exhausts and industrial pollutions.", Stated His Highness Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
uSky Transport is designs in and development of above-ground electric transport systems. These systems are ideal solutions for organizing the transportation infrastructure in linear cities and similar urban projects.
Will the innovative uSky transport system be used in "Line"?