uSky Transport’s rail system will have capacity to operate at up to 500kph, transporting cargo and passengers between cities.
Passengers have stepped on board the UAE’s first high-speed electric sky pod for the first time. The four-seater UCar takes less than a minute to travel the 400-metre test track at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.
It does so smoothly and efficiently at speeds approaching 50 kilometres per hour during tests.
The National was given an exclusive tour on the pod system on Sunday.
Its developers, uSky Transport and Unitsky String Technologies of Belarus, will take development to a bigger test track by November, before constructing a permanent commercial line.
Longer tracks using super-strong string rail technology will have capacity to operate at up to 500kph, transporting cargo and passengers between key points across cities.
The alternative transport system offers safety, comfort and affordability, he said. The first commercial project will be available in the UAE by September 2023.
A cargo version would be capable of delivering 12-metre containers at high speed, which could take heavy goods vehicles off roads and into the sky.
Pods move independently, rather than on a conventional pulley system of a cable car that limits speed to around 12-15kph.
The pods’ carbon footprint is also lower than regular rail travel, with electric emergency batteries partially powered by renewable energy.
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