Dubai Tram

Dubai Tram
A tram with a Chili’s advertisement at Dubai Marina.
A tram with a Chili’s advertisement at Dubai Marina.
Overview
Native nameترام دبي
OwnerRoads and Transport Authority
LocaleDubai, United Arab Emirates
Transit typeTram
Number of stations11
(19 planned)[1]
Websitehttps://www.rta.ae
Operation
Began operation11 November 2014[2]
Operator(s)Keolis.MHI
Rolling stockAlstom Citadis 402
Technical
System length10.6 km (6.6 mi)
(14.5 km (9.0 mi) total planned)
No. of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC ground-level power supply
(750 V DC overhead line on depot area)
Average speed20 km/h (12 mph)
Top speed50 km/h (31 mph)
System map

The Dubai Tram (Arabic: ترام دبي) is a tramway located in Al Sufouh, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It runs for 14.5 kilometers (9.0 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Palm Jumeirah and Al Sufouh. The tram connects with the DMCC and Sobha Realty stations of the Dubai Metro's Red Line, and two more stations are expected to connect with the tram in the future. The Dubai Tram is also connected with the monorail of the Palm Jumeirah at the entrance of the Palm from Sufouh Road.[1]

Alstom Citadis 402 trams near the Al Sufouh depot in July 2014.

The first section, a 10.6-kilometer (6.6 mi) long tram line which serves 11 stations, was ceremonially inaugurated on 11 November 2014, by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the line officially opening for public service at 6:30 am (UTC 04:30) on 12 November 2014.[2]

The Dubai Tram is the fourth tramway project in the world after the Bordeaux tramway in 2003, and the Reims and Angers tramways in 2011, to be powered by the Alstom APS ground-based electric supply system.[3]

Construction

The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram was undertaken by a consortium of Alstom, Besix and Parsons.[4][5][6][7]

Construction has been divided into two phases: Phase 1, was expected to be open in April 2011, however it was delayed until November 2014. Upon completion, Phase 1 of the tramline will operate 11 trams, serving 11 stations, covering 10.6 kilometers (6.6 mi) of route. The Phase 1 will cost AED 3.18 Billion.[1] Some 9.5 kilometers (5.9 mi) of the Dubai Tram project will be built as part of the first Phase 1.[1] Phase 2 will add 14 more trams and eight more stations along an additional 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) of route.

As of 10 October 2010, the construction work on Dubai Tramway had progressed according to the scheduled completion of 2014.[8] However the project was put on hold a month later due to lack of finances. The construction of the tramway was resumed in January, 2011 with 30% of Phase 1 having been completed.[9] In mid-2014, the tramline entered the testing phase, and it began operation in November 2014.[10][11][12]

Route

Code Station Name Notes
English Arabic
1 Jumeriah Beach Residence 1 أبراج شاطئ الجميرا 1
2 Jumeriah Beach Residence 2 أبراج شاطئ الجميرا 2
3 Jumeriah Lakes Towers أبراج بحيرات الجميرا Interchange with DMCC Station of Red Line (Dubai Metro)
4 Dubai Marina Mall دبي مارينا مول
5 Dubai Marina دبي مارينا Interchange with Sobha Realty Station of Red Line (Dubai Metro)
6 Marina Towers أبراج المارينا
7 Mina Seyahi الميناء السياحي
8 Media City مدينة دبي للإعلام
9 Palm Jumeriah نخلة جميرا Interchange with Palm Gateway Station of Palm Monorail
10 Knowledge Village قرية المعرفة
11 Al Sufouh الصفوح

Operations

Typical air conditioned tram station with safety screen doors

The Dubai Tram is operated by Keolis.MHI under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority.[13][14][15]

There are over 80 certified drivers for the tram. To ensure the safety of the tram and the passengers, every driver is required to take (and pass) an alcohol test before driving the tram. The trams also have a dead man's switch, which the drivers are required to press every three to five seconds, failing which the tram will come to a halt.[16]

Hours of operation and frequency

The Dubai Tram operates from 06:30 until 01:00 except on Fridays when it operates from 09:00 until 01:00.[17]

Fares

The tram has a fixed fare of AED 3 per trip regardless of the distance travelled, making it one of the cheapest fares for trams, compared to other cities. The fare for passengers using the Red Nol Ticket will be AED 4 (US$1.09) per ride.[18]

A Nol Card can be used by passengers to check-in and check-out of the tram by scanning the card at the platform screen doors.

Statistics
2014 2015 to June
Lines 2 2
Kilometres 9.5 9.5
Stations 11 11
Trips (Total)
Passengers (Total) 531,000[19] 1,854,055[20]

Rolling stock

The Dubai Tram use 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1.[21] The trams are 44 m (144 ft) long with a capacity of 408 passengers.[22] Maximum speed is 50 km/h (31 mph), giving an average operational speed of 20 km/h (12 mph).

The trams use the Alimentation par le Sol II (APS II) ground-level power supply,[22] and so do not need overhead cables.[4] This method was first used in Bordeaux, France. The Dubai Tram is the world's first tram network to use platform screen doors at the stations, as well as a new Supervised Vehicle Operation (SVO) mode that will ensure accurate station stop and safety during passenger transfer.[4][5][6][7] The trams have Gold (first) and silver classes, and space dedicated to women and children.[1][22]

The first tram was presented to Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Road & Transport Authority, at Alstom's La Rochelle factory on 14 June 2013.[22]

Incidents and accidents

Tram on test run in November 2014. Note safety barriers each side of tracks.
  • 2 October 2014 (2014-10-02): During the test run, a car collided with the oncoming tram after jumping a red light signal. According to Dubai Police, neither the driver nor anyone else was injured in the accident but the vehicle sustained damage to its front portion and the tram sustained minimal damage.[23]
  • 17 December 2014 (2014-12-17): The tram service was disrupted for 15 minutes due to a collision between the tram and a car after the car driver read a green light for another lane and mistakenly turned left on a red light, then stopped on the tram's tracks at an intersection in Jumeirah Beach Residence.[24][25]
  • 16 April 2024 (2024-04-16): Due to heavy rain causing floods, the tram service was suspended, however, full service was restored on the next day.[26]

Linking with other networks

The Dubai Tram has 2 stations that are interconnected to 2 Dubai Metro stations:

It is also interconnected to the Palm Monorail:

  • Palm Jumeirah with Palm Gateway (out-of-station interchange)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ashfaq Ahmed (27 January 2009). "Dubai's first tram project taking shape in Al Sufouh". Gulf News.
  2. ^ a b "Mohammad to flag off Dubai Tram". Gulf News. Al Nisr Publishing LLC. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  3. ^ Staff Report. "10 facts you should know about the Dubai tram". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Al Safouh tram project consortium selected". Railway Gazette International. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  5. ^ a b "Smooth ride for Jumeirah residents". Gulf News. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Tram will be ride on time". 7Days. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b "H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid approves the design of the AED 4b Al Safooh Tram project". Dubai & Roads and Transport Authority. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  8. ^ Ashfaq Ahmed (10 October 2010). "RTA says all public transport expansion projects on track". Gulf News.
  9. ^ "Dubai RTA - Al Sufouh Tram Project". Zawya. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  10. ^ Elizabeth Broomhall (4 January 2012). "Dubai tram project still strangled by liquidity woes". Arabian Business.
  11. ^ Elizabeth Broomhall (26 February 2012). "Contractor says Dubai tram will meet 2014 deadline". Construction Week Online.
  12. ^ samreenh (22 January 2014). "Dubai's Al Sufouh Tram project testing to begin". En-maktoob.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Serco signs Dubai Tram operation contract". Serco.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Dubai Metro operator to run Al Sufouh tram". Gulf News. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  15. ^ Serco signs Dubai metro contract extension Metro Report International 1 April 2019
  16. ^ Masudi, Faisal (26 July 2015). "Ahead of its time: Dubai Tram system second to none". Gulf News. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  17. ^ Working Hours Dubai Marina
  18. ^ Shahbandari, Shafaat (3 November 2014). "Ride the Dubai Tram for Dh3". Gulf News. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Revealed: How many passengers used Dubai Metro in 2014". ae.b2.mk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  20. ^ Wam. "88m use Dubai Metro, 2m use Tram in H1 2015". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Al Sufouh tram styling suits Dubai scene". Railway Gazette International. 17 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  22. ^ a b c d "Alstom reveals Dubai's first Al Sufouh tram". Railway Gazette International. 17 June 2013.
  23. ^ Staff Reporter (2 October 2014). "Car hits tram after jumping red light". Gulf News. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  24. ^ Staff Reporter (18 December 2014). "Dubai tram-car smashup disrupts JBR traffic". Gulf News. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Dubai Tram crash: How did it happen? - Emirates 24|7". Emirates247.com. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  26. ^ https://twitter.com/rta_dubai/status/1780596394308649273

External links

  • Roads & Transport Authority homepage
  • Media related to Tram transport in Dubai at Wikimedia Commons
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