The Dubai Tram, which went into service for the general public today (November 12), is the eighth system delivered by global power transmission leader Alstom in a decade, which it delivered to the Emirate ahead of schedule, said the company president.

“[This] illustrates Alstom’s strategy to serve all markets with a complete range of solutions while demonstrating our leading position in tramway systems,” added Henri Poupart-Lafarge, president of Alstom Transport.

“Thanks to Alstom and RTA’s close collaboration on the project, Dubai’s citizens can now travel aboard one of the most sophisticated and comfortable tram in the world.”

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the Executive Council inaugurated the Dubai Tram yesterday (November 11).

Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council and Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the Board and executive director of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Poupart-Lafarge were present during the event.

This full system project - that was assigned to Alstom by Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) - was launched to foster multimodal transportation use and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

This first tramway in the entire Gulf region is expected to serve about 27,000 passengers per day and is anticipated to hit about 66 000 by 2020.

The Dubai Tramway includes many Alstom’s technological breakthrough. It is the first tram in the world able to run in temperatures of up to 50C and to withstand harsh climate conditions such as humidity and sandy atmosphere.

Equipped with APS ground-level power supply, the system is also the first in the world to be catenary-free all along the line which is 10.6 km long and counts 11 stations. This technology enables perfect integration of the tramway into the cityscape, a statement said.

Dubai Tram is also the first line to be equipped with air-conditioned stations and automatic platform screen doors.

The Dubai Tram offers high-end comfort, the statement said.

The Citadis tram is 44 metres long and can accommodate 408 passengers in “gold”, “silver” and “women & children” classes. The tram is equipped with real-time passenger information and video broadcasting. To better reflect the city’s image, Citadis tram of Dubai has a distinctive diamond-shaped styling on the front end.

Alstom has seven other systems under implementation worldwide including the Lusail tram in Qatar. – TradeArabia News Service