The United Arab Emirates (UAE) proposed an underwater train to Mumbai in 2018 and it’s the talk of the internet again five years on.
There are still no plans to actually build the high-speed rail line for now – but the ‘futuristic’ concept is truly mesmerising.
Underwater train from UAE to Mumbai
The idea was unveiled by the UAE’s National Advisor Bureau Limited in 2018, who proposed a new public transport route from the city of Fujairah to Mumbai.
It’s called the “Fujairah-Mumbai Subsea Tunnel Train Project” and involves building floating train tunnels just below the surface of the Arabian Sea.
Travelling from the UAE to India usually takes three hours by plane as it’s a 1,200 mile journey. The train would take two to four hours and travel at up to 1000km per hour.
As well as a passenger route, it would also be used to transport water and oil between the two countries, but the project would take a lot of planning and be incredibly expensive.
‘Futuristic’ design is mesmerising
The UAE released a video of the concept on YouTube that shows what the floating tunnel could look like. It would be held in place by a series of pontoons floating on the surface.
“The project is meant to connect the UAE and the other GCC countries for the first time with India via a subsea Tunnel and an Ultra Speed subsea railway line,” it says in the caption.
They propose adding new stations to the line in the future too, including stops in the port city of Karachi in Pakistan and Muscat, the capital of Oman.
Plus, a road could be constructed within the floating tunnel for cars and transportation as well as floating hotels and shopping centres.
No plans to build tunnel yet
The bureau’s director and chief consultant Abdulla Alshehhi told everyone “this is just a concept” during the UAE-India Conclave in Abu Dhabi in 2018.
“We plan to connect Indian city of Mumbai with Fujairah through ultra-speed floating trains. The project aims to boost bilateral trade,” he said.
“There will be export of oil to India from Fujairah port and import of excess water from Narmada River, north of Mumbai.”
Alshehhi claimed they needed to do a “feasibility study” to see if the project was actually doable, but said it was a “cool project to look at”.
Related Topics
