It looks like the UAE Hyperloop is well on track…

The CEO of the company that is bringing the Hyperloop to the UAE has praised Dubai for making “what seems to be impossible a reality”.

Los Angeles-based company Hyperloop One is working on the world’s first operational Hyperloop system, which would see passengers travelling between the emirates in special pods at 1,200 kilometres per hour (the maximum speed of a Boeing 747 is 825kmh).

This means a journey from Dubai to Abu Dhabi will take only 12 minutes.

In a video posted to YouTube this weekend, Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd said the system was expected to “transform transportation as we all know it today and create a much more connected world”.

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He explained how in August 2016, the company had been invited to participate in a Dubai Future Accelerator programme led by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.

“Our company was provided with unprecedented access to expert resources in an innovative environment to develop our idea for the Hyperloop system in the UAE,” Lloyd said.

In November, it was announced that Hyperloop One had reached an agreement with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority to study the feasibility of building a Hyperloop between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“We were amazed at the speed of our progress,” Lloyd said.

“During many of my visits this past year, I’ve witnessed the visionary leadership that is driving a new nation into the 21st century – leadership that shares our belief to make what seems to be impossible a reality.

“A desire to incubate transformative ideas and make them available to the rest of the world and a young, educated and creative workforce.

“It’s clear to me that all the conditions exist combined with an aspirational mindset to help make the UAE the perfect global launch market for Hyperloop One.”

While an official launch date has not been set, Hyperloop One has previously said they could have an operational system built in the UAE in the next five years.

At the Middle East Rail conference in March, Lloyd shared photos of how construction was progressing at the first ever Hyperloop test site in the Nevada desert.

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