A Dutch company plans to link Amsterdam and Paris by Hyperloop by 2021.

The much-touted UAE Hyperloop that could see the journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi completed in just 12 minutes appears to have some international competition.

Los Angeles-based company Hyperloop One intends to introduce the world’s first operational Hyperloop system to the UAE, and has said this could be achieved in the next five years.

It’s a plan that seems to be ticking along nicely. At the Middle East Rail conference in March, CEO Rob Lloyd shared images of how construction is progressing at the world’s first Hyperloop test site in the Nevada desert, 30 minutes from Las Vegas.

ALSO READ: Dubai to Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes: It’s happening

Now, a Dutch tech start-up has revealed another ambitious Hyperloop proposal, which could see Amsterdam and Paris connected by the super-fast transport system by 2021.

The company, called Hardt Global Mobility, last week unveiled Europe’s first Hyperloop test facility on the Delft University of Technology campus in Delft, Netherlands.

The company’s founders were members of a team that won an Elon Musk Hyperloop innovation competition in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Before the unveiling, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment announced that it was starting research into the possibilities for a Hyperloop system in the Netherlands, with the help of Hyperloop One (yes, the same company that is working on the UAE Hyperloop).

Here’s a video which reveals the Dutch test facility: 

The 30-metre tube is the first step towards what could eventually become a full-scale Hyperloop network in Europe.

“We are creating a world where distance no longer matters,” said Tim Houter, CEO of Hardt Global Mobility. “One where you will have the freedom to live and work wherever you want to.”

Elon Musk first proposed the idea of the Hyperloop in 2013, and made his research public so that others could pursue developing the concept.

This means the Hyperloop technology is open source and is currently being pursued by a number of companies and individuals… so whether the UAE will win the Hyperloop race remains to be seen.

– For more about Dubai straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook.