The UAE’s National Advisor Bureau, a consultancy firm based in Masdar city in Abu Dhabi, has announced its latest futuristic project – The Fujairah-Mumbai Subsea Tunnel Project.
It aims to connect the UAE and other GCC countries for the first time with Mumbai, India, via a sub-sea tunnel and an ultra speed 1,000 km/hour sub-sea railway line.
The concept of the tunnel is based on well-known technology applied to floating bridges, offshore structures and immersed tunnels, said a top official of the Bureau.
“The project, which is currently at the concept stage, is meant to connect the UAE and the other GCC countries for the first time with India via a sub-sea tunnel and an ultra speed sub-sea railway line, with the aim of improving the bilateral trade between the two nations,” remarked Abdulla Alshehhi, managing director of the National Advisor Bureau.
The floating underwater tunnel may consist of two curved concrete tubes, submerged below the surface of the Arabian Sea. The submerged tubes would be stabilized by being attached to pontoons on the surface of the sea or by vertical tethers to the sea floor, he explained.
“Provision can be made for enough gaps between the pontoons to allow ships to pass through. The tubes would be placed underwater, deep enough to avoid water traffic and weather,” stated Alshehhi.
The tunnel would be a watertight, resisting the salty sea water, and should be able to withstand the hydro-static forces upon it, he pointed out.
Creating a vacuum inside the tunnel will result in tremendous speed for trains due to the minimal air resistance, he added.
The main expected benefits from the project are: