Dubai gets a new local train
The construction industry is booming in Dubai like nowhere else in the Arabian world. One of these huge projects involves building a new local railway network. When planning, the Dubai RTA-Rail Agency engineers place their trust in card_1. The basic concept behind the Dubai Metro envisages building two railway lines which should be partially operational by mid-2009.
Local Trains plus Metro
The ca. 50km-long Red Line is to stretch from the border of the neighbouring Emirate Sharjah to the free zone of Jebel Ali. The second, a 19km-long stretch known as the Green Line, will go from the international airport in Dubai to the Port Rashid area. The Red and Green Lines are to have 35 and 22 stations, respectively. The entire network consists of above-ground as well as an underground train line. In the city centre in particular, everything will be underground.
The power supply will run along the ground in the middle of the railway line. The proposed length of a 5-carriage train will be approx. 75m. Each train will have three classes: one for women and children, one standard class and one first class. A total of 145 trains are to be purchased and they will be serviced in the industrial zone Al Quoz.
Driverless Trains
The trains are all to be fully automated, i.e. driverless. The local train network is to be integrated into a local public transport system which will also include bus and taxi stops as well as park-and-ride car parks. According to the expectations of planning experts, the local trains will have to carry an estimated 1.2 million passengers a day.
Project facts:
- Investment sum: 4 billion dollars.
- Four Lines: Red Line 52km, Green Line 22.5km, Purple Line 49km and Blue Line
- Red Line: Start 9. September 2009
- Completed: 2012