Dubai Tram

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Dubai Tram
Dubai Tram logo.png
265px
Tram at an intersection
Overview
Native name ترام دبي
System Tram
Status Operational
Locale Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Termini Dubai Marina
Al Sufouh
Stations 11
(19 planned)[1]
Operation
Opened 11 November 2014[2]
Owner Roads and Transport Authority (Dubai)
Operator(s) Serco
Depot(s) Al Sufouh
Technical
Line length 10.6 km (6.6 mi)
(14.5 km (9.0 mi) total planned)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed Average: 20 km/h (12 mph) Maximum: 50 km/h (31 mph)
Alstom 402 trams near the Al Sufouh depot in July 2014.

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 runs 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 04:30) on 12 November 2014.[2]

Dubai Tram is also first tramway project outside Europe to be powered by ground-based electric supply system.[3]

Construction

The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram is being undertaken by a consortium of Alstom, Besix and Parsons.[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.[10][11][12]

Operations

Typical air conditioned tram station with safety screen doors

The Dubai Tram is operated by Serco under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority.[13][14]

The tram is driven by more than 80 certified drivers. To ensure the safety of the tram and the passengers, every driver is required to take an alcohol test before driving the tram. The driver is allowed to drive the tram if he passes the test. The tram also have a Dead man's switch, which the drivers are required to press every three to five second to ensure that the driver is paying attention. The tram will come to a halt if the driver fails to press the button.[15]

Hours of operation and frequency

Services run 20 hours each day, and it takes 36 minutes to ride the entire length of the system. Trams run from 6:30 to 1:38. On Fridays, service starts at 9:00. Initially, the minimum headway is a tram every 6 minutes.

Fares

The tram has a fixed fare of AED 3 (USD $0.82) per ride regardless of the distance traveled, making it one of the cheapest fares for trams, compared to other cities. The fare for passengers using the Red Nol Ticket will be AED 4 (USD $1.09) per ride.[16]

A Nol Card can be used by passengers to check-in and check-out of the tram by scanning the card at the platform screen doors.

Statistics
2014 2015 H1
Lines 2 2
Kilometres 9.5 9.5
Stations 11 11
Trips (Total)
Passengers (Total) 531,000[17] 1,854,055[18]

Rolling stock

The Dubai Tram use 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1.[19] The trams are 44 m (144 ft) long with a capacity of 408 passengers.[20] 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,[20] 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][20]

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.[20]

Incidents and accidents

Tram on test run in November 2014. Note safety barriers each side of tracks.
  • 2 October 2014 (2014-10-02): During the test run, a car collided with the oncoming tram after jumping a red light signal. According to Dubai Police, the driver nor anyone else was injured in the accident but the vehicle sustained damages to its front portion and the tram sustained with minimal damage.[21]
  • 17 December 2014 (2014-12-17): The tram service was disrupted for 15 minutes due to a car collided with the oncoming tram after the car driver mistook the traffic signal to turn left and then stopped on tram's tracks at an intersection in Jumeirah Beach Residence.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/transport/2014/April/transport_April19.xml&section=transport
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ http://www.zawya.com/projects/project.cfm/pid040707010000?cc[dead link]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-971-report/dubai-s-al-sufouh-tram-project-testing-to-begin-122327876.html
  13. ↑ http://www.serco.com/media/internationalnews/dubaiTramOperation.asp
  14. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/dubai-metro-operator-to-run-al-sufouh-tram-1.1231301
  15. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/ahead-of-its-time-dubai-tram-system-second-to-none-1.1556216
  16. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/ride-the-dubai-tram-for-dh3-1.1407597
  17. ↑ Emirates 24|7, January 24, 2015
  18. ↑ [1]
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/car-hits-tram-after-jumping-red-light-1.1393577
  22. ↑ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traffic-transport/dubai-tram-car-smashup-disrupts-jbr-traffic-1.1428764
  23. ↑ http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubai-tram-crash-how-did-it-happen-2014-12-18-1.573903

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Dubai_Tram&oldid=512076"