Dubai monorail: Round trip to cost Dh25

Riders will pay Dh25 for a round trip aboard the newly opened Palm Jumeirah Monorail, XPRESS has learnt.

Or, riders have the option of paying Dh15 for what Nakheel calls a one-way “single journey ticket''.

On a quiet ride on Tuesday afternoon from the shoreline Gateway Towers at the trunk of the Palm to Atlantis and back, XPRESS paid the fare through one of four automatic ticket dispensers at the third-floor gate area.

The machines issue what Nakheel calls a “stored value ticket'' that entitles the bearer to travel up and down the line and to stop at any of the four stations, including the Gateway Tower, the Trump Tower Station, the Palm Mall Station and the Atlantis Aquaventure Station.

Travellers swipe their plastic tickets at any one of five entry gates to board.

Each train takes nine minutes to complete the trip, waits for three minutes boarding time and then returns.

The $590 million (Dh2.1 billion) monorail, built by Nakheel for its iconic Palm Jumeirah, opened on May 1 and will be officially inaugurated by the master developer on Wednesday.

On its tour, XPRESS was the lone passenger aboard the fully automated driverless train, one of three that run in a continuous loop down the centre of the manmade island. The system is operated by SMRT Engineering Pte Ltd (SMRTE).

A few tourists exiting the monorail said it was refreshing to ride a train with virtually no competition for seats.

James Swale, 21, of Australia, said it “felt eerie riding along the empty train although I'm sure it won't be long before it is packed with tourists heading to Atlantis hotel''.
Indeed, each three-car trainset can accommodate roughly 70 seated passengers and during rush hour up to 100 thanks to hanging handles that standing commuters can use to steady themselves.

Swale said he was impressed with the smooth ride which helped because the ride itself didn't distract from the impressive waterscape viewable from the large windows and spacious blue and grey interiors of the Palm Monorail.

“The monorail is so smooth and the views are just what I thought Dubai would look like with all of the water, palms and beaches,'' he said.

British tourist Agnes Etherington, 58, found the ride completely uneventful, just the way she likes given that she is terrified of heights.

“The trip was utterly magnificent, it was such a joy to travel without a care in the world. It felt very safe. I forgot we were so high in the air,'' she said.

Angelo Grampini, a 20-year-old Italian, said the Palm Monorail is “very cool, I just wish we had more of these at home. It was very surprising to ride because it was so quiet.''

Riders said the most thrilling section to cross was the 1,000 metre bridge span over Gulf waters from The Palm trunk to the crescent. It's during that section of the ride that passengers are presented with a full panoramic view of massive crowds of sunbathers relaxing on the beaches and reveling in the nearby water park.

Security, meanwhile, is of top importance for monorail operators judging by the high number of surveillance cameras posted throughout Gateway Towers Station. Cameras are positioned in various locations to cover all areas.

With an expected 5,000 visitors to the Atlantis hotel and aquaventure park daily, the 14-storey car park at Gateway Towers Station should handle the demand for car parking. The aptly named station has wide open areas and escalators leading to Level 3 entry gates. The station also touts a second floor food court with facilities for four restaurants when it opens for business.

There is a viewing podium on the 14th floor.

Built by Hitachi at its Kasado Works plant in Japan, the light rail system will eventually connect to the Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) Al Sufouh tramline.

The Palm Monorail

(Source: Hitachi-rail)