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Abu Dhabi / WAM
The UAE’s Federal Transport Authority-Land and Maritime and Fleming Events on Thursday held a press conference to announce the second NATRANS Expo, slated to be held from October 25-26 2016, at ADNEC under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of the Authority.
NATRANS Expo is dedicated to sustainable transport solutions and smart cities involving all forms of connected mobility and infrastructure. It is organised by Fleming Events with support from the UAE transportation authority.
Abdullah Salem Al Kathiri, Director-General of the Federal Transport Authority-Land and Maritime, said the UAE is always attracting the latest trends and discoveries in numerous aspects of the transportation technology that will bolster the UAE’s initiatives to advance its society in various sectors.”
He noted that the Authority supported the first NATRANS Expo in 2015, and it plans to support it again this year due to its major success in showcasing creative and effective contributions to the transportation sector, which will eventually help in supporting the development of the UAE and the Arabian Gulf.
Al Kathiri said hundreds of high-level experts and specialists in the transport and smart cities sectors from all over the world are expected at the second NATRANS Expo. He welcomed the participation of the critically-acclaimed Hyperloop and Honeywell, Last Mile Consortia, the platinum sponsor of this event.
Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a strategic partner of NATRANS Expo, said, “This year, we hope that through NATRANS Expo 2016, we get to attract more relevant transport authorities and government bodies from the GCC to embrace this advanced technology that will change many aspects of the transportation industry and create a technological leap like no other in the region.”
The Hyperloop is conceptual high-speed transportation system originally put forward by entrepreneur Elon Musk. It relies on airless tubes with zero air pressure to connect between stations in the system, where hurtling capsules runs on compressed airbags so as not to come into contact with the walls of the tube. Those capsules carry passengers at high speeds that go up to 1220 KM / hour, and they are currently being tested in the United States.
From his side, Peter Costa, vice president, Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, Middle East, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the 2nd edition of the NATRANS Expo. Honeywell, as a leading global provider of technologies which enable sustainable transportation, smart buildings, and smart cities, is perfectly placed to help provide solutions to tackle the opportunities and challenges which lay ahead. We look forward to sharing our expertise and technology in this sphere, as we are very much aligned with regional efforts to boost sustainability, use assets and resources more efficiently, and help build a region that is safer, more secure, and more productive.”
John Greaves, the Secretary-General of Last Mile Consortia, and Chairman of the NATRANS Conference added saying:” The outlook for the transportation sector within the UAE is optimistic, driven by government investment programs such as the Vision 2021 and Abu Dhabi’s ‘Surface Transport Master Plan’ (STMP) which aims at improving the country’s strategic infrastructure”.
Greaves added, “Over US$21bn of transport projects are forecast for 2016-2017 period in the UAE. Investments in Abu Dhabi are in line with Abu Dhabi’s STMP, while investments in the transportation sector in Dubai are mainly driven by the Expo 2020 and offers enormous growth opportunities for investors and suppliers in this space”.