Gulf Construction Online - New tram puts Dubai on par with global cities

UAE Focus

Dubai Tram ... state of the art.

New tram puts Dubai on par with global cities

01 November 2014

Dubai is set to join the ranks of major global cosmopolitan cities when it flags off its own tram network this month.

Following successful trial operations, Dubai’s new tram system will be officially launched on November 11 as the first tramway project outside Europe to be powered by a ground-based electric supply system along the track.

The initial phase of the project consists of a 10.6-km-long track starting from the Dubai Marina and stretching up to the tram depot near Dubai Police Academy. The network consists of 17 passenger stations and a fleet of 11 trams in the initial phase. The tram can carry a maximum of 405 passengers at a time.

The tram depot consists of 11 eco-friendly buildings housing 25 trams, a maintenance and cleaning centre, and the operation control centre which also ensures the safe operation of trains.

Fourteen trams will be added in Phase Two to make a total of 25 operating trams. The tram is expected to transport about 27,000 passengers per day at the start of operations, and the number of passengers is expected to increase to 66,000 per day by 2020.

Each tram has seven coaches, including a gold suite and one cabin dedicated to women and children. It will be operated by Serco, the same company that manages the Dubai Metro.

The network will connect major residential, commercial and tourism projects such as Dubai Marina, Media City, Internet City, Knowledge Village and a number of luxury hotels.

The new tram network is expected to add a significant value to the properties around the new mode of transport, said international property agency Chestertons, adding, the project will be a huge success and will bring added value to Dubai’s existing state-of-the-art public transport system, it said.

“Infrastructure enhancement and the growth in the public transport network will definitely have an impact on the real estate sector. The proximity to high-capacity transit halts has proven to increase property rates, a phenomenon known as the ‘transit premium’,” remarked Simon Gray, the managing director at Chestertons Mena.