Palm Jumeirah Monorail
Dubai Monorail, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Locale | Dubai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transit type | straddle-beam monorail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of lines | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of stations | 4 (1 not open), 2 planned | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daily ridership | ~40,000 (capacity), under contemporary interval 23,000. Current ridership much lower. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website |
www | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Began operation | April 30, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Serco Group plc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of vehicles | 4 (2009)[1] (only two visually seen in July 2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System length | 5.45 kilometres (3 mi)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average speed | 35 km/h | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top speed | 70 km/h | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The monorail connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro.[2] The line opened on April 30, 2009.[3] It is the first monorail in the Middle East.[4]
The trains are driverless, with attendants for any emergency situations.[1]
History
Construction began on the 5.45-kilometre (3 mi) monorail line in March 2006,[2] under the supervision of Marubeni Corporation, with the monorail track completed in July 2008 and vehicle testing beginning in November 2008. Originally planned to open by December 2008,[5] the opening was delayed to April 30, 2009.[2][5] In 2010, day-to-day operations were taken over by the Middle-East branch of Serco.[6]
The project budget is US$400 million, with an additional US$190M set aside for a 2-kilometre (1 mi) future extension to the Dubai Metro.[7] Another source speaks of a budget of US$1.1 billion.[8] A journey on the monorail costs Dhs15 one-way, 25 return.
The Al Ittihad Park station, originally intended to serve the cancelled Trump International Hotel and Tower development, was opened on July 3, 2017.[9]
Technology
The Palm Jumeirah Monorail uses Hitachi Monorail straddle-type technology. The electro-mechanical works are carried out by ETA-Dubai in joint venture with Hitachi-Japan.
Ridership
The line has a theoretical capacity of 40,000 passengers per day, with trains running every few minutes during peak hours and every 15 to 20 minutes during off-peak hours.[2][4] However, actual ridership averaged around 600 passengers per day during the first week,[10] and the monorail is running "virtually empty".[11] As of July 2017, the line runs every 11 minutes and averages 3,000 passengers per day.[9]
Stations
- Atlantis Aquaventure station — Atlantis, The Palm*
- The Pointe (under construction, to be opened after Nakheel Mall)
- Nakheel Mall station (not open yet) — formerly Trump Plaza, now Village Center Station (To be opened by 2018/9)
- Al Ittihad Park station
- Gateway station — Gateway Towers, connection to Dubai Tram at Palm Jumeriah station
Planned extension:
- Dubai Internet City (planned) — connection to Dubai Metro
References
- 1 2 Hitachi Ltd. "Monorail in Palm Jumeirah Island opened in April 2009". Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Middle East's first monorail to start services in Palm Jumeirah by April". Gulf News. 2008-08-07. Archived from the original on 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ↑ "Palm monorail tried and tested - The Knowledge News". TimeOutDubai.com. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- 1 2 "ME's 1st monorail to begin services in April". MENAFN.com. 2008-08-08. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- 1 2 "Palm monorail hit by four-month delay". ArabianBusiness.com. 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ↑ DVV Media UK. "Urban rail news in brief September 2010". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ "Quiet please for region's first monorail". ArabianBusiness.com. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
- ↑ "Nice and Easy, but Fares Not So Fair". Khaleejtimes.com. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- 1 2 https://www.thenational.ae/uae/new-station-on-the-palm-monorail-opens-1.91664
- ↑ Sarah Blackman (2009-05-06). "Dubai's new Palm Monorail proves popular". ConstructionWeekOnline.com. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ↑ "Palm monorail: Where are the passengers? - XPRESS (United Arab Emirates)". Encyclopedia.com. 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2010-08-27.