Al Sufouh tram, another Dubai wonder, to be opened in 2014

Al Sufouh Tram is a tramway being built in Al Sufouh, Dubai. It will run 14.5 kilometres (9.0 miles) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates. It is expected to interchange with three stations of Dubai Metro‘s Red Line. Al Sufouh Tram will also connect with the monorail of the Palm Jumeirah at the entrance of the Palm from Sufouh Road.

The Al Sufouh Tram will use 11 of Alstom’s Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1. The trams will be 44 m (144 ft) long, with a capacity of 300 passengers and a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), giving an average operational speed of 20 km/h (12 mph). Services will run 20 hours each day, and it will take 30 minutes to ride the entire length of the system.

These trams will use the “Alimentation par le Sol” (APS) ground-level power supply, and so will not need overhead cables.  

The Al Sufouh Tram will also be the world’s first tram network to use platform screen doors at the stations, as well as a new Supervised Vehicle Operation (SVO) mode that will ensure accurate station stop and safety during passenger transfer.

Eight trams will operate in the initial phase and are expected to lift about 3,500 passengers per hour per direction.

The first tram to be used on Dubai’s Al Sufouh tram project is slated to arrive in the emirate in December 2013.

The first phase of the project will span 10.6km and cost AED4bn, and will see 11 of the network’s 17 stations open to the public.