Technology has advanced so much that emerging projects can blow our minds. When I read news about new projects being developed, I am very surprised. Did they do that too? I read this kind of news with interest. I am sure that people who witnessed the invention of the automobile or the computer in the past experienced similar surprises as I did.

Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, seems to have an ever-changing and evolving horizon. But besides the billions of dollars worth of projects that are reshaping the skyline, there are even crazier projects planned underwater.

Let's take a look at Dubai's underwater train project under development.

Underwater Train, Aquarail

The history of human transport is indeed very strange. From walking to riding horses, many developments have occurred, from 2-wheeled bicycles to using 4-wheeled abalars. In the near future, it may be possible for us to travel by trains traveling at 965 kilometers per hour through tubes in the ocean. 

Yes, you heard right. A United Arab Emirates-based company has initiated the construction of a train line that will take you directly from Dubai to India. When you think that these two cities are 1934 kilometers away from each other, you may be a little confused. The project becomes even more impressive when you consider that there is an ocean of hundreds of kilometers between these cities.

So, How Will This Project Be Done?

In fact, the project does not end with just placing rails in the ocean. Two large curved concrete pipes will be placed in the Arabian sea and these concrete pipes will be completely waterproof to prevent erosion or damage. These tubes will then be connected to a series of industrial-scale pontoons for stabilization with two sets of supported tubes. Each concrete tube will contain only one rail. Thus, trains will be able to travel in both directions. Moreover, the concrete tubes will also include a series of pipelines between Mumbai and the United Arab Emirates that will import and export gas, oil and water. This project takes the concept of multitasking to a new level. Also, the train journey between Dubai and Mumbai will take around 2 hours.

Weren't these two cities 1934 kilometers apart?

Even taking the train from London to Paris takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. The distance between London and Paris is only 486 kilometers. The project developers plan to make the tubes completely airtight. So trains will run in vacuum to reduce air resistance. Of course, this alone will not be enough to make a train journey at the speed of light.

Electro Magnet Technology

Dubai wants to use a highly innovative mode of transport that uses maglev technology. Maglev, short for magnetic levitation, uses an array of electromagnets that are frozen to minus 267 degrees. Thus, electromagnets produce magnetic fields 10 times larger than ordinary electron magnets at the lowest temperatures. These supercooled rails also come into contact with opposing magnets placed on the sides of the train, repel each other and cause the train to lift into the air. In other words, this system is an almost frictionless drive and allows trains to reach speeds of 500 kilometers per hour on land. However, it means that trains on Aquarail can theoretically travel at 965 kilometers per hour in the cavity of the tunnel without any friction, elevation change or air resistance. This extremely ambitious project was drafted in 2019. There has been no news about the project since then. I'm sure we would all love to see such a project come to fruition.

We're ready to take off. Are you coming? :)

Photos from Pixabay.