JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia has planned to launch a high-speed transportation system between Jeddah and Makkah that is expected to cut the journey times between the cities to only five minutes.
For this, the kingdom will avail the services of the US-based company Virgin Hyperloop, which made history in 2020 by completing its first successful passengers test. The distance between Jeddah and Makkah is about 80 kilometers.
It will take the new transportation system less than one hour to complete journey between Riyadh and Jeddah, which usually takes hours by road.
Virgin Hyperloop uses a ‘near-vacuum’ environment within a tube, which enables high speeds, low power consumption, and almost completely removes aerodynamic drag. Inside the tube, battery-powered pods glide at speeds of up to 1078kms. For passengers on board, it’s a comfortable, quiet and safe experience, the company said in a blog.
These innovations not only allow pods to travel at ultra-fast speeds but also provide on-demand, direct-to-destination service. Hyperloop will carry tens of thousands of passengers per direction per hour at aeroplane speeds, with zero direct emissions.
Saudi Arabia will be the first country to launch the hyperloop technology. Reports said it will cut the travel time between Riyadh and Dubai to 51 minutes only.
