Dubai: Work on phase one of the Dubai Tram project is nearing completion with 11 trams ready to roll out in November.
The trams have arrived in Dubai and technical and operational tests are being conducted on a daily basis.
Served by seven stations on a 10.6km stretch in phase one, Dubai Tram will have the world’s first tram stations with platform screen doors.
“We have made safety of passengers our first priority so we decided to go with platform screen doors at all stations. We also chose on-ground power cabling system rather than going for overhead, which makes the Dubai Tram one of the safest in the world,” said a senior RTA official.
He also said that unlike in most cities with traditional tram networks the entire Dubai Tram corridor will be fenced and people should cross the tracks only from designated pedestrian crossings.
Passing through at least 30 junctions, crossings and intersections, the trams will have right of way and RTA has issued guidelines for pedestrians, cyclists as well as motorists to follow while in the vicinity of Dubai Tram network. Violation of the guidelines may attract heavy fines.
The trams will work in sync with Dubai Metro, with the two networks connecting at two locations - Dubai Marina station and Jumeirah Lakes Towers station.
The two networks will connect through footbridges at both the stations for a smooth and seamless interchange of passengers between the two systems. The tram will also link with the Palm Jumeirah Monorail.
Set to operate for 20 hours a day between 5am and 1am, the trams will run every 6 minutes during peak hours and eight to 10 minutes during off peak hours.
According to information provided by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), from Saturday to Thursday the trams will run every eight minutes between 5am and 7am and the frequency will improve by 30 seconds between 7am to 10am. From 10am to 8pm the trams will run every 6 minutes, stopping at each station an average of 30 seconds.
Between 8pm and 1am the frequency will come down to 8 minutes.
On Fridays the headway will be every 10 minutes from 5am to 1pm, every 7 minutes 30 seconds from 1pm to 6pm, every 6 minutes between 6pm and 8pm, every 8 minutes between 8pm and 11pm, and every 10 minutes from 11pm to 1am.
Moving at an average commercial speed of 21.44km/h and achieving the maximum speed of 50km/h, the trams will make a round trip in 42 minutes.
Measuring 45 metres each, seven of the eleven stations in phase one are at ground level and four are elevated.
With a capacity to accommodate 405 passengers at a time, the 44-metre long trams have been divided into three class — Gold, Silver and Women-children. Each tram will have seven cabins, one for Gold class, two for women and for Silver Class.
In the first phase, the tram will run between Al Sufouh and Dubai Marina.
