Dubai Tram

Dubai Tram

Tram at an intersection
Overview
Native name ترام دبي
System Tram
Status Operational
Locale Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Termini Dubai Marina
Al Sufouh
Stations 11
(19 planned)[1]
Operation
Opened 11 November 2014[2]
Owner Roads and Transport Authority (Dubai)
Operator(s) Serco
Depot(s) Al Sufouh
Technical
Line length 10.6 km (6.6 mi)
(14.5 km (9.0 mi) total planned)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 750 V DC ground-level power supply
(750 V DC overhead line on depot area)
Operating speed Average: 20 km/h (12 mph) Maximum: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Alstom 402 trams near the Al Sufouh depot in July 2014.

The Dubai Tram (Arabic: ترام دبي‎‎) (previously known as the Al Sufouh Tram) 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 interchanges with Jumeirah Lakes Towers Station and Dubai Marina Station of the Dubai Metro's Red Line and two more metro station 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]

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 H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The 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]

Dubai Tram is also first tramway project outside Europe to be powered by ground-based electric supply system.[3]

Construction

The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram is being 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 I will cost AED 3.18 Billion.[1] Some 9.5 kilometres of the Dubai Tram project will be built as part of the first phase I.[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 I having been completed.[9] In mid-2014, the tramline entered the testing phase, and it began operation in November 2014.[10][11][12]

Operations

Typical air conditioned tram station with safety screen doors

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

The tram is driven by more than 80 certified drivers. To ensure the safety of the tram and the passengers, every driver is required to take an alcohol test before driving the tram. The driver is allowed to drive the tram if he passes the test. The tram also have a Dead man's switch, which the drivers are required to press every three to five second to ensure that the driver is paying attention. The tram will come to a halt if the driver fails to press the button.[15]

Hours of operation and frequency

Services run 20 hours each day, and it takes 36 minutes to ride the entire length of the system. Trams run from 6:30 to 1:38. On Fridays, service starts at 9:00. Initially, the minimum headway is a tram every 6 minutes.

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 (USD $1.09) per ride.[16]

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 H1
Lines 2 2
Kilometres 9.5 9.5
Stations 11 11
Trips (Total)
Passengers (Total) 531,000[17] 1,854,055[18]

Rolling stock

The Dubai Tram use 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1.[19] The trams are 44 m (144 ft) long with a capacity of 408 passengers.[20] 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,[20] 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][20]

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.[20]

Incidents and accidents

Tram on test run in November 2014. Note safety barriers each side of tracks.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ashfaq Ahmed (27 January 2009). "Dubai's first tram project taking shape in Al Sufouh". Gulf News.
  2. 1 2 "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. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  4. 1 2 3 "Al Safouh tram project consortium selected". Railway Gazette International. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Smooth ride for Jumeirah residents". Gulf News. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Tram will be ride on time". 7Days. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  7. 1 2 "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. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Ashfaq Ahmed (10 October 2010). "RTA says all public transport expansion projects on track". Gulf News.
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121019205735/http://www.zawya.com/projects/project.cfm/pid040707010000?cc. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ Elizabeth Broomhall (4 January 2012). "Dubai tram project still strangled by liquidity woes". Arabian Business.
  11. ↑ Elizabeth Broomhall (26 Feb 2012). "Contractor says Dubai tram will meet 2014 deadline". Construction Week Online.
  12. ↑ samreenh (2014-01-22). "Dubai's Al Sufouh Tram project testing to begin". En-maktoob.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  13. ↑ "Serco signs Dubai Tram operation contract". Serco.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  14. ↑ "Dubai Metro operator to run Al Sufouh tram". GulfNews.com. 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  15. ↑ '+json.loginStatus.userName+' (2015-07-26). "Ahead of its time: Dubai Tram system second to none". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  16. ↑ '+json.loginStatus.userName+' (2014-11-03). "Ride the Dubai Tram for Dh3". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  17. ↑ Emirates 24|7, January 24, 2015
  18. ↑ Wam. "88m use Dubai Metro, 2m use Tram in H1 2015". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  19. ↑ "Al Sufouh tram styling suits Dubai scene". Railway Gazette International. 17 November 2009.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Alstom reveals Dubai's first Al Sufouh tram". Railway Gazette International. 17 June 2013.
  21. ↑ '+json.loginStatus.userName+' (2014-10-02). "Car hits tram after jumping red light". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  22. ↑ '+json.loginStatus.userName+' (2014-12-18). "Dubai tram-car smashup disrupts JBR traffic". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  23. ↑ "Dubai Tram crash: How did it happen? - Emirates 24|7". Emirates247.com. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
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