An underwater railway project that will supposedly connect Dubai to Mumbai is still in its “conceptual stage,” the brain behind the concept has clarified. Abdulla Al Shehhi, managing director of The National Advisor Bureau Limited, issued the clarification, days after Indian media outlets widely reported about the proposed underwater railway network.

The grand project was first suggested in 2018, with news outlets around the world, including Khaleej Times, reporting it then. News organisations in India have run multiple reports about the project last week; however, Al Shehhi said the project is still being studied for feasibility.

This early-stage analysis considers the factors that may interfere with the final outcome. Al Shehhi said that the bureau would have to get official approval first before discussing funding of the project, and that “it is difficult to confirm this date [of approval],” he said.
He said that the project will aim to support trade between the UAE and India, and the overall region surrounding both countries. Other proposed route options included Karachi and Muscat and will connect the Gulf region to the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. “We are talking about around 1.5 billion people in this region,” Al Shehhi said. “It will be easier for them to use the train instead of the plane.”

One of the stated goals of the underwater train project is to easily transport oil from the UAE to India, and also transport water from the Narmada River in Central India to the UAE, Al Shehhi said.

According to Al Shehhi, the train would be suspended using electromagnets, known as maglev technology, which would hurl the train to speeds of up to 1,000kmph. He said that the train would pass through concrete tunnels which will be submerged 20-30 metres below the Arabian Sea’s surface and would be anchored for stability.

“With this project, the UAE will be India's gateway to the Arabian Gulf, both for passengers and goods, and will be a strategic shift for the UAE's national economy,” Al Shehhi said. The National Advisor Bureau Limited is a consultant firm for start-ups and established businesses and has previously proposed riveting ideas such as shipping icebergs from Antarctica to the UAE to contain climate change.