Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with French mobility specialist MND, a leading company in the ropeways industry, as part of its efforts to fulfil Dubai’s vision of having 25% of all trips be self-driving by 2030.

According to a WAM report, the parties commit to work together to study and implement CABLINE system to contribute to this vision.

It added that the CABLINE system developed by MND, with the support of the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), is perfectly aligned with RTA’s objectives and aims at offering a completely new experience for aerial transportation.

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, the report said. This fully automatic, driverless transport system, with self-propelled cabins moving over ropes at speeds up to 45 kilometre per hour, uses a minimalist infrastructure easy to integrate with the least possible footprint.

The system allows for easier maintenance to guarantee high availability rate of the urban transport system and optimal service for the passengers.

“The signing of this MoU is part of RTA’s ongoing efforts to increase public transportation trips to 26 percent by 2030. 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,” Younes said.

For his part, 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.”