Dubai Metro - first day of launch

This is a hot-off-press photo from Dubai Metro. Brand new - in a traditional arabic style. This is really amazing!
UAE did fantastic job!

There will be test runs conducted on a 4 kilometre section of the elevated track near Jebel Ali, checking all the management systems as well as the trains themselves.

There’s a main power station for the Metro, in Jebel Ali, and that’s reported to be completed. The Depot in Jebel Ali which will be large enough to accommodate 44 trains is said to be more than half completed. A train will consist of five carriages with a maximum load of 645 passengers.

Scary Dubai Metro System?

Dubai has a traffic problem. Everybody who lives here can see this daily, especially now during Ramadan.
Some people say this is normal in such a fast growing city like Dubai, others say it’s because of the reckless Dubai drivers. Some say the government of Dubai is responsible and there is no proper traffic planning. Whatever the cause is, it’s not going to be solved so easily. The Dubai government has a long-term plan which includes traffic planning. Part of this plan is the Dubai Metro System.

Construction work has already started, which ironically makes the traffic worse ;-)

The Dubai Metro System will have modern trains with full air-condition and all stations will be air-conditioned too (underground an elevated stations). Each 5 car train will be 75m long. There will be standard class, women and children only sections, and of course an exclusive first class section. All sections will feature high tech passenger information systems. The Dubai Metro System will be fully integrated in the public transport network of Dubai.

No need to be scared, even if you know that the Dubai Metro will be driverless. High standard safety features will make sure that everything goes smoothly. The system would allow trains to run at every one and a half minutes without any trouble.

The cars have huge windows for the best views of our lovely city from the slightly higher perspective (hopefully the ride will take long enough to see everything). The whole system will run with electrical energy, which makes it environmentally friendly.

The Dubai Metro System will have four lines.
The red line will run from Salahuddin Road (next to Al Ghurair Center) to the American University of Dubai, passing by Burjuman Center and Sheikh Zayed Road.

This line will be extended later to Jebel Ali Port and to the intersection of Al Nahda and Damascus road.
The green line starts from Al Ittihad square (next to Dubai Municipality) to the Rashidiya bus station, passing by Deira City Center and the Airport terminals 1 to 3. Later on the green line will be extended into Deira and Bur Dubai.
The blue line runs on Emirates road and will connect the Dubai International Airport and Jebel Ali Airport.
The purple line will also connect these 2 Airports, but acts as an express line, serving new communities along Al Khail Road. All four lines will cover roughly 320 km (by 2020).

The first two lines alone will have more than 60 stations,

18 km of tunnels, 51 km of viaduct, one major train depot and maintenance facilities site and several auxiliary stabling facilities. The total fleet size will exceed 100 trains. In the city center the lines will run underground, outside the Dubai Metro System will be elevated.

Once finished (first phase in 2009), the Dubai Metro System will be the most advanced urban rail system. Investment costs for the full Dubai Metro System will reach more than 14 billion AED. The operating costs are calculated to be approximately 570 million AED per year. And eventually we wil have no traffic problems anymore here in Dubai ;-)

Work on Dubai tram starts January 2008

Construction on the Al Sufouh tram network will start in January next year, aimed at providing an alternate mode of transportation in the fast growing area to ease traffic congestion.

The 15-km tram lines will run on Al Sufouh Road connecting the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Jumeirah Lake Towers.

In an interview with Gulf News, the RTA said the tram project would be completed within 21 months and will be operational in September 2009, to coincide with the completion of the Red Line of the Dubai Metro.

The tram will be connected to the Red Line at three points; Burj Al Arab Station, Dubai Marina Station and Ibn Battuta Mall Station.

The tram will serve areas such as Internet city, Dubai Marina, Media City, Knowledge Village, JBR and a dozens of luxury hotels in the area, which have already started facing traffic congestion.

The first phase of the tram project has been nicknamed 'The Shopping Trolley' as it will provide a link to the major shopping areas including Mall of Emirates, the Madinat Jumeirah and Ibn Battuta Mall.

Metro’s first train to arrive in March 2008

The Roads and Transport Authority’s Rail Agency has announced that the manufacturing of trains for Dubai Metro is well on schedule in Japan. The first train will be delivered in March 2008.
Rail Agency’s Director of Construction Adnan Hammadi said, “As scheduled, each train will be approximately 85 metres long, 2.78 metres wide and 3.86 metres high with five cars, 3 motor cars and 2 trailer cars.”
“The train equipment tests commenced in June 2007 at their respective suppliers’ premises, mainly in Japan, as well as in France and Germany. These tests were carried out in order to ensure that the train and its equipments are compliant with the project specifications and international best practices as well as fit for local environmental conditions,” he said.
The first train will be ready by October 2007 after which it will be delivered to Dubai for testing and commissioning, starting in March 2008.
Altogether 44 sets will be delivered for the Red Line to commence revenue service in September 2009