After being put on hold for years, the Downtown Dubai Tram project is now dusted off the shelves in architects’ offices. Modifications and upgrades are implemented in accordance to the current central district’s development. Moreover, the project’s launch is expected to be announced quite soon. Let’s say, this might happen during the Cityscape 2014.
People, who prefer to remain unnamed due to concerns for their jobs, told Dubai Chronicle that Downtown Dubai Tram project is once again redefined and updated ahead of upcoming launch. Back in 2010, the go ahead was put on hold for an unknown time period. However, the works on it have now resumed and even new talents are hired.
Downtown Dubai Tram was originally introduced in 2008 by Emaar as part of the company’s roughly estimated at that time AED 72 billion Downtown Burj Dubai project. Back then, the price of the tramway development was estimated at AED 500 million.
The interesting fact about this project was that once completed it will be one of its kind in Dubai due to the fact that it will have two synchronized services within just one tram system. The length of the tram line is said to be 4.6 km.
Before it was put on hold, the construction of Downtown Dubai Tram was divided into two phases. The first was supposed to focus on a 1.1 km trace, extending from Burj Khalifa to The Dubai Mall and Dubai Metro. Phase one of the project was scheduled to start operating by the end of 2009. Once completed, trams had to pass every 1-2 minutes and their journey on the route was estimated at about 2-3 minutes. Now when the link between the mall and the Metro station is already operational and very busy, the tram line seem useless.
The second phase of the Downtown Dubai Tram project focused on the remaining part of the track, which had to form a full loop that could operate in one single direction. The complete on-way journey on Downtown Dubai Tram was expected to be around 8 minutes and to include ten stations, including Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall.
Back in 2008, the purpose of the entire project was to offer people a comfortable and affordable transportation in the Downtown Dubai neighbourhood. Nowadays, this concept may seem somewhat irrelevant considering the high cost of the Downtown Dubai Tram. However, expanding the rail to Business Bay, DIFC and Jumerah makes a lot of sense, when you consider the tremendous amount of new buildings under construction.
