Dubai trams due to arrive in UAE this year

Construction work going on for the Dubai Tram project at Dubai Marina and JBR area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // The first Al Sufouh tramcar will arrive in Dubai on December 11, it was announced yesterday.

Mattar Al Tayer, the chairman and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), told state news agency WAM that production of the trams at the factory in France was 30 per cent complete.

Each tram is 44 metres long and will accommodate about 300 passengers. Like the Dubai Metro, the tram will have a First Class (Gold Suite), a cabin designated for ladies and children and a Silver Class car.

"Al Sufouh Tramway extends 14.6km alongside Al Sufouh Road, and the initial phase envisages the construction of a 10.6km-long track starting from the Dubai Marina and stretching up to the Tram Depot near Dubai Police Academy," said Adnan Al Hammadi, chief executive of RTA's Rail Agency.

"The tram network will comprise 17 passenger stations, 11 of which are covered under phase one, and spread across activity and population density areas along the tramway."

The first phase of the tram project is scheduled for completion in the last quarter of 2014.

Eight trams will be used in the first phase, and 17 trams will be added in phase two for a total of 25 trams.

The RTA's rail agency expects 3,500 passengers in each direction every hour during the first phase and 5,200 passengers after phase two.

During a tour of the project by RTA officials it was announced the overall project completion rate is now at 52 per cent, and station completion is at about 26 per cent. Rail tracks completion is around 32 per cent, foundation works in the tram depot are more than 90 per cent, and the completion rate in the overall depot works is 8 per cent.

The Dubai tram tracks extend along Al Sufouh Road, connect to the Palm Jumeirah and rise into an elevated section through Dubai Marina. Once completed, it will link to three Dubai Metro stations via footbridges.