As part of its efforts to reach Dubai's objective of having 25% of all trips be self-driving by 2030, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has struck a deal with French mobility specialist MND, a major business in the ropeways industry.
The parties agree to collaborate in order to study and develop a cabline system that will help them achieve their vision. The MND cabline system, which was created with the help of the French Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe), is perfectly linked with RTA's goals and promises to provide an entirely new aerial transportation experience.
The MoU was signed by Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA's Rail Agency, and Xavier Gallot-Lavallée, Chairman and CEO of MND.
Cabline is designed to integrate and connect to a city’s existing inter-modal transport network.
This fully automatic, driverless transport system, with self-propelled cabins moving over ropes at speeds up to 45 km per hour, uses a minimalist infrastructure easy to integrate with the least possible footprint.
Its innovative technology is much more modern, more aesthetic, quieter and more energy-sufficient than traditional ropeway transportation.
Cabline facilitates maintenance, ensuring a high availability rate of the urban transportation system and optimal passenger service. This game-changing technology is based on patented inventions and MND and its partners' strong and proven track records in the field of traditional ropeways.
"The signing of this MoU is part of RTA’s ongoing efforts to increase public transportation trips to 26 percent by 2030," Younes said.
"Realising this objective requires developing advanced innovative transport systems and improving the sustainable transport network in Dubai to encourage people and visitors to use public transport. MND is a leading group for ropeways infrastructure and working on a new driverless high-speed system. This cabline system by MND is flexible, energy saving, and has minor impact on the urban environment," he added.
On the deal, Gallot-Lavallée said: "MND is very proud to work with RTA to achieve their vision of sustainable mobility and fully integrating urban network combining innovative technologies and modes."
"We believe the cabline technology under development in our ropeways design centre based in the French Alps can contribute to new urban transportation experience. Our engineering team has been working hard in the last years to finalise design and make cabline a unique and disruptive technology to ease urban mobility," he added.