September 08, 2008

First monorail in MEA nearing completion

It is reported that the first monorail in Middle East will be ready to transport commuters along The Palm Jumeirah by the end of 2008 as more than 90% of the work has been completed on the 5.4 kilometer track that runs from the top of The Palm’s crescent and down the length of its trunk.

Work began in 2006 on the mass transit system. When complete, it will have 4 stations namely Gateway Towers, Trump Tower, a retail centre and the Atlantis Hotel, currently under construction on the crescent. A depot and an operations control centre have been planned for the route.

The monorail will initially carry 4 trains, each of 3 carriages. Eventually, 9 trains will travel the length of The Palm Jumeirah at 5 to 10 minute intervals using an automatic train operating system. Nakheel said that there would be space for 361 passengers per vehicle, so the monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 passengers per hour in each direction. At full capacity, the figure will rise to a maximum of 6,000 people in 9 vehicles.

Mr Aaron Richardson senior spokesperson for Nakheel said that “Construction work is right on schedule and we expect the system to be operational by late 2008.” He added that piers were currently being constructed in the water at the north end of The Palm, between the trunk and the crescent, on its way to the fourth station at Atlantis. The monorail track is expected to be completed by the middle of this year and the system will then undergo 6 months of testing.

Mr Richardson said that discussions were ongoing over how The Palm Jumeirah monorail system can connect with the Dubai Metro or with the Al Sufouh tram link. He added that “The idea is to ensure complete connectivity so that tourists can leave Dubai International Airport on the Metro and continue through to The Palm, where they change over to the monorail system and move onwards to their hotel.”