Dubai Tram

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 will run for 14.5 kilometers (9.0 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates. 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 will also connect 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 4:30) on 12 November 2014.^[2]

Dubai Tram is the first in the world to have platform screen doors at the stations and it is also first tramway project outside Europe powered by ground-based electric supply system.

Construction

The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram is being undertaken by a consortium of Alstom, Besix andParsons.^[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.

Rolling stock

The Dubai Tram use 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1.^[16] The trams are 44 m (144 ft) long with a capacity of 408 passengers.^[17] 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,^[17] 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][17]

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.