A newly proposed Dh4-billion tram system for Dubai's Al Safooh district along the Gulf coast will link thousands of residents by 2011.
The Roads and Transport Authority unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to construct in its early stages 9.5 kilometres of twin track at ground level to host 11 tram trains to be built by a consortium of European and American firms.
The tram is not to be confused with the heavier and much more costly Dubai Metro that will travel high above ground on concrete viaducts and will usher passengers over much longer distances through the entire city.
The new tram, officials said, will connect a much smaller community of roughly 180,000 residents and offer a vital link to the Red Line of the metro.
An estimated 210,000 people also work in that area of the city.
The first phase of construction along Al Safooh Road should be completed by April 9, 2011 and will link Madinat Jumeirah and Mall of the Emirates with Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Each train will carry 300 passengers who can use their RTA Smart cards to pay to ride a light-rail system that will draw electrical power from a ground-level railway network rather than from overhead lines.
There will be 19 passenger stations along the tram line.
At a press conference at Madinat Jumeirah's Mina Al Salam Hotel, Al Tayer was upbeat about the quality of life the project will bring to an area of the city that hosts such icons as Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and a skyline full of newly built Dubai Marina residential towers.
“It is the first of its kind in the UAE,'' Al Tayer told reporters, adding the tram will ease traffic congestion in Dubai when motorists decide to take the train rather than their cars.
There will be 11 trains running on the first phase of the Al Safooh Tram and 14 more will be added in a second phase of construction that will extend the tram track to a total of 14 kilometres, he said.
The trains will be 44 metres long and operate 20 hours each day allowing for some time for maintenance crews at a train depot to do routine checks.
The contract to build the system was awarded by the RTA to a consortium comprised of French Alstom, Belgium-based Besix as well as Serco of the UK and Parsons of the United States.
Parsons was involved in the original stages of the Dubai Metro and Serco has already been selected to operate the metro system for 10 years at a reported cost of 400 British pounds.
The news comes almost a week Emaar developers announced it would build a half-billion-dirham light railway system to connect the world's tallest building – the Burj Dubai – to the proposed Dubai Metro along Shaikh Zayed Road.
The Emaar shuttle network will link Downtown Burj Dubai neighbourhood's 30,000 homes, more than 200 towers, nine hotels and the world's largest mall.
The Burj Dubai system is 4.6-kilometres long.
FAST FACTS
- Each train will carry 300 passengers
- The cost of the project is Dh4 billion
- In Phase One, 11 trains will operate on 9.5 kilometres of track
- In Phase Two, 14 more tram trains will be added and the twin-track will be extended to a total of 14 kilometres
- Ultimately, the RTA plans to build a total of 270 kilometres of tram track throughout Dubai to link all of its communities via modern public transport
- Tram trains are 44 metres long and 2.65 metres wide
- Trams will be air-conditioned and contain public information systems
- Phase One will be completed in 34 months
- Phase Two is expected to be completed by April 4, 2011
(Source: RTA)
