First phase Al Sufouh Tram to open in 2014
Dubai: Al Sufouh Tram Project, which will further boost the city's public transport system, is set to take passengers by 2014 as construction work continues on fast pace.
"The first phase of Dh4 billion Al Sufouh Tram, which will be complete the first half of 2014 and open to passengers will provide smooth, safe and affordable public transport system to residents and visitors to new Dubai areas," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Mattar visited the project to check the update on the construction work.
Al Tayer was briefed that the completion rate of the project hit 95 per cent in the design of the transit systems, 62 per cent in the design of civil works, and 50 per cent in utility lines diversion works while the overall project completion rate has reached about 43 per cent.
Al Tayer was briefed by Adnan Al Hammadi, CEO of the Rail Agency at the RTA the completion rates in various components of the project. While the total length of Al Sufough Tram is 14.7km, the first phase of the route will be 10.7km long and will cost Dh4 billion. It will be built between Jumeirah Walk and the Mall of the Emirates.
The first phase of the project also comprises 13 stations of the total 19, and eight trams will be used initially of the total 25. Each tram will have the capacity to carry 400 passengers and will cater to 5,000 passengers per hour. Like the Dubai Metro, the tram will have three categories including the gold class, women and children's section and the silver class (economy section).
The tram will provide a link to three Metro stations: the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers. It will also be linked to the Palm Jumeirah monorail.
The tram fleet comprises eight trams in the initial phase, and 17 trams will be added in Phase II such that the total number of operating trams will be 25 trams. The Tram is expected to lift about 5,000 passengers per hour per direction, and each tram measures 44 meters in length and has a capacity to accommodate about 300 passengers. The Tram has a first class (gold suite) and one cabin designated for ladies and children as well as a silver class car. The internal finishing of carriages and stations are deluxe and charming, and the tram is fitted with the latest technologies in the transmission and display of entertainment materials. The passenger lounge extends 44 metres and is equipped with Automatic Fare Collections systems.
The tram track basically extends at-grade level along Al Sufouh Road but rises in an elevated section across certain areas of Dubai Marina for reasons dictated by urban structures of the locality.
Al Sufouh Tram is considered the world's first tramway project powered by an electric supply system extending along the track, thus obviating the need for catenary cables. It is also the world's first tramway that uses platform screen doors in passenger stations fully aligned with the tram's doors opening and shutting mechanism, providing maximum convenience, safety and security for passengers, and at the same time protecting the efficiency of the air-conditioning quality in the interior of both stations and carriages from the external climatic effects.
© Gulf News 2012
