Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) and Zhong Tang Sky Railway Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the construction of a skytrain system. Since 2016, Zhong Tang has been testing its skytrain system in Chengdu, which involves lithium battery-powered carriages suspended from an overhead monorail system.

Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, chief executive officer of the Rail Agency, signed the MoU on behalf of RTA, and Tang Tong, chairman of Zhong Tang Sky Train, signed on behalf of the rail group. Attendees included Jaber Al Bahandi, chairman of Centurion Company (The UAE representative of Zhong Tang Sky Railway Group), and Tariq Al Bahandi, head of development at Centurion.

“The signing of this MoU is part of RTA’s ongoing efforts to increase public transportation trips to 26% by 2030," Younes said during the signing. "Realizing this objective requires developing advanced futuristic transport systems and improving the sustainable transport network in Dubai to encourage people and visitors to use public transport."

“RTA is aligning its efforts with the national agenda to nurture a sustainable environment in terms of air quality and reliance on clean energy," he added.

In pursuit of this goal RTA is signing MoUs with a number of specialist companies in the development of suspended transport systems, to identify the technologies used in this sort of mass transit. It will then screen and obtain the best technologies and select the best systems for implementation in Dubai.

In February this year, RTA began revenue service on the Dubai Route 2020. Work on the new line began in July 2016, and was carried out by the Alstom-led ExpoLink Consortium. It also composed of ACCIONA and Gülermak. It consists of a 15-kilometre line, of which 11.8 kilometres is above ground and 3.2 kilometres underground, plus an interchange on the Red Line.

The extension of the metro has seven stations including Jabal Ali Station and the flagship metro station at the World Expo exhibition site. The project cost  2.6 billion euros (US$3.15 billion).