21/01/2021
UAE Government Ministers and Saudi Arabian Business Representatives Visited Unitsky String Technologies R&D Center in Sharjah
UST, Inc.'s R&D Center at Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) was visited by official delegations from the UAE government and Saudi Arabian businessmen announcing plans in 2021 to build an innovative transportation system “the Line” as part of NEOM Linear City Project.
The UAE government delegation was headed by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, and H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Saudi business delegation was led by Dr. John Fahd Touma, Director of ERI — one of the largest civil engineering companies in the country.
Both delegations were accompanied by Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Director for Innovations of Sharjah Emirate, Head of SRTIP and American University of Sharjah Enterprises.
The visitors appraised the Unicar® luxury electric passenger pod and the above-ground transport complex built in December 2020 for certification of three Company’s transportation solutions in the MENA region:
Passenger above-ground transportation system providing passenger traffic of 50, 000 people per hour on each elevated overpass with a price of 0.1 USD pssgr/km at speeds of up to 150 km/h. The Company’s technologies allow to reduce the cost of construction and operation of the transport system by more than a third compared to a standard monorail, by half compared to a railroad, and by five times compared to a highway.
Cargo above-ground transportation system providing cargo flow of standard freight containers with a price of 0.01 USD t/km at speeds of up to 130 km/h. The competitive advantage of the Company’s solutions allows loading and unloading operations in ports and logistics hubs right “on-the-go” without construction of additional stations.
And finally, the system of above-ground high-speed passenger transportation at speeds of 300-500 km/h. The engineering design feature of the structure itself, as well as transfer of the high-speed route to the second level allow reaching such a speed combined with passenger comfort and economic feasibility for the client.
Delegation representatives showed great commercial interest in the electric above-ground transport system and drew attention to the growing interest in the MENA region for innovative transportation complexes that meet the special requirements of linear cities. These linear cities are of a particular interest of the governments of the MENA countries.
On January 10, 2021, His Highness Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud announced in Riyadh the launch of the ambitious project “the Line” in the NEOM city of the future.
“We (Saudi Arabia — author’s note) are to transform traditional cities into cities of such technological type (linear cities — author’s note), cities of the future…Today, as Head of the NEOM Board of Directors, I present to you such a city — the Line. A city with a population of 1 mln people, 170 km long, with 95% of nature untouched within its borders. A city without cars, traffic jams, exhausts and industrial pollutions.” — His Highness Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Unitsky String Technologies, Inc. is engaged in design and development of above-ground electric transportation systems. These systems are one of the most ideal solutions for organization of the transportation infrastructure in linear cities and similar urban projects.
