Dubai Tram’s official launch is scheduled for November 11 – today! The newest transportation mode is not only known as the city’s first tram project. It is also the very first tramway project located outside Europe that is powered by ground-based electric supply system. The Dubai Tram is also the first tram network in the world that has platform screen doors at the stations. But that is just a tiny bit of information on Dubai’s tramway. Here’s even more!
Number of Stations It will Cover
The first phase of Dubai Tram will cover 11 different stations, five of which will be operate around Sufouh Road and six – around Marina area. Stations 1 and 2 are set in JBR, whereas stations 3,4 and 5 are on Sheikh Zayed Road. Station 3 is linked to JLT and 4 – to Dubai Marina Mall. Station 5 will be connected to Dubai Marina and station 6 will be called Dubai Marina Towers. The next station (station 7) will reach to Mina Al Seyahi and station 8 will operate to Dubai Media City. Stations 9, 10 and 11 will connected to Palm Jumeirah Island, Knowledge Village and Al Sufouh, respectively.
Operation Schedule
Dubai Tram will operate from 6.30 a.m. to 1.30 a.m. between Saturday and Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1.30 a.m. on Friday. According to RTA, a tram will pass every 10 to 12 minutes.
Price to Ride the Dubai Tram
The cost to travel with Dubai Tram will be directly connected with the city’s zoning system. RTA has already announced that a trip within one zone will cost AED 3 if the passenger travels in the Silver class and AED 6 if he or she takes the Gold class. However, for now, only the first phase of the project is completed and it operates on only one zone – Zone 2. Passengers can either get a permanent Nol Card or a Red Ticket if they want to take just one trip or need to use Dubai Tram for just one day.
Capacity
Each of the trams is made up of seven carriages and its total length measures at 44 meters. Its capacity is estimated at 405 passengers. Silver class will offer 44 seats, whereas the Women and Children class – 24 seats. There will be only 8 seats in the Gold Class, as well as space for two wheelchairs.
Future Expansions
As it was already noted, only the first phase of the project is finished. There are two more phases planned for Dubai Tram. The second will connect to Burj Al Arab and Mall of the Emirates and it will add seven more stations and 14 new trams to the tramway. The third phases will reach to 2nd December Street, but it is not expected to be ready before 2025.
Where the Tram Meets the Metro
Two Metro stations are already connected with the Dubai Tram – Dubai Marina Metro station and Jumeirah Lakes Towers Metro station. However, more Metro stations are expected to be added to this modest list. Among them will probably be Sheikh Zayed Road and The Mall of the Emirates.
Extras
The trams and the stations will offer riders a number of extras. As a start, all tram stations are air-conditioned and they have everything from information panels, escalators and lifts to vending machines, seats and retail stores. Dubai Tram passengers will also have Wi-Fi access. In addition, every station will have its own drop-off and parking areas.
Ridership Predictions
RTA expected to register about 27,000 riders per day during the first months of Dubai Tram’s operation. This means that in about one year they will reach 200,000. It is predicted that the number of passengers per day will increase and reach 66,000 per day over the next 5 years.
Last, but not least, although the Dubai Tram will be officially launched on November 11, it will start to operate with riders on November 12.
