 The Dubai Metro will be a driverless, fully automated metro network, which is being built in Dubai. The Red and Green Lines are under construction, and more lines are planned. These first two lines will run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts outside the city. It will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world when it opens on 9th September 2009.
The trains and stations will be air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.
Planning of the Dubai Metro began under the directive of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who expected other projects to attract 15 million visitors to Dubai by 2010. The combination of a rapidly-expanding population (expected to reach 3 million by 2017) and severe traffic clogging necessitated the building of an urban rail system to provide additional public transportation capacity, ease road traffic, and provide infrastructure for future development.
In May 2005, an AED 12.45 billion design and build contract was awarded to the Dubai Rail Link (DURL) consortium made up of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi. The first phase (worth AED 15.5 billion/US$4.2 billion) covers 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the proposed network, including the Red Line between Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Ali Free Zone set for completion by September 2009 and the Green Line from Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf 1. This is to be completed by March 2010. A second phase contract was subsequently signed in July 2006 and includes extensions to the initial routes.
Work officially commenced on the construction of the metro on March 21, 2006. A top RTA Rail Agency official said, "The $4.2 billion Dubai Metro project would be completed on schedule despite global crisis."
When completed, Dubai Metro will have a total of 70 kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations (including 9 underground stations). At present two lines are under construction, and two more are planned.
The two lines under construction are:
* Red Line: 50 kilometres (31 mi) line with 35 stations from Jebel Ali Port, the American University in Dubai, through the city centre to Al Rashidiya.
* Green Line: 20 kilometres (12 mi) line with 22 stations from Festival City, through the city centre, Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 and the Airport Free Zone.
The proposed lines are:
* Blue Line: 47 kilometres (29 mi) line along Emirates Road, final route yet to be confirmed.
* Purple Line: 49 kilometres (30 mi) line along Al Khail Road, meant to be an express route between Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.
Serco, under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority will operate the Dubai Metro. Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department expects the metro to carry 1.2 million passengers on an average day, 27,000 passengers per hour for each line, and 355 million passengers per year once both lines are fully operational. It is planned to transport 12% of total trips in Dubai.
One concern for the new system will be how to reliably and comfortably get riders to their final destinations if it is not at a metro station. Will there be adequate taxis at stations? Bus and water routes are being modified to transport riders to the areas between stops. Three park-and-ride facilities are being built.
Dubai Metro is composed of at-grade (G), elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 (T1, T2 and T3, respectively), underground stations (U) and underground transfer station types (UT). Type 1 is the regular at-grade concourse station, Type 2 will be a regular elevated concourse station, and Type 3 will be an elevated special track station. Underground transfer stations will be accommodating the Red and as well as the Green lines for easy transfers.
In addition to these differences, there will also be 4 themes to be used in the interiors of all stations: earth, water, fire and air. Earth stations will have tan-brown colour effects; water will have blue-white colour effects; fire will get orange-red colour effects; and the air will have green colour effects.
Red Line:
o Rashidiya Station (T3)
o Emirates Station (T2)
o Airport Terminal 3 Station (will not be made by DURL)
o Airport Terminal 2 Station (will not be made by DURL)
o Al Garhoud Station (T2)
o City Centre Station (U)
o Al Rigga Station (U)
o Union Square Station (UT, connecting with Green Line)
o BurJuman Station (UT, connecting with Green Line)
o Al Karama Station (T2)
o Al Jaffiliya Station (T1)
o Trade Centre Station (T1)
o Emirates Towers Station (T1)
o Financial Center Station (T2)
o Burj Dubai Station (T2)
o Business Bay Station (T1)
o Al Quoz Station (T1)
o Burj Al Arab Station (T1)
o Mall of the Emirates Station (T2)
o Al Barsha Station (T1)
o Tecom Station (T2) — future interchange to Palm Jumeirah Monorail
o Nakheel Station (T3)
o Dubai Marina Station (T2)
o Jumeirah Lakes Towers Station (T2)
o Jumeirah Islands Station (T1)
o Ibn Battuta Station (T1)
o Dubal Station (T1)
o Jebel Ali Industrial Station (T1)
o Jafza / Limitless Station (G)
Main Depot for the trains will be at Rashidiya just before the Rashidiya Station, while an auxiliary depot will be situated at Jebel Ali Port.
Green Line:
o Al Qusais 2 Station (T3)
o Al Qusais 1 Station (T2)
o Airport Free Zone Station (T2)
o Al Nahda Station (T2)
o Stadium Station (T2)
o Al Quiadah Station (T2)
o Abu Hail Station (T2)
o Abu Baker Al Siddique Station (T2)
o Salahuddin Station (U)
o Union Square Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
o Baniyas Square Station (U)
o Palm Deira Station (U)
o Al Ras Station (U)
o Al Ghubaiba Station (U)
o Saeediya Station (U)
o BurJuman Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
o Oud Metha Station (T2)
o Health Care City Station (T2)
o Jeddaf 1 Station (T2)
o Jeddaf 2 Station (T2)
The train depot will be located at Al Qusaias just before the Al Qusais 2 Station.
Officials are negotiating with worldwide and local companies over naming rights for the 23 stations on the two lines. This corporate branding would be the first of its kind.
Japanese manufacturer Kinki Sharyo is manufacturing a total of 87 five-car trains for the Red and Green lines. They are designed to carry 643 seated and standing passengers, and unusually for a mass transit system, the trains will have three classes of accommodation: Gold Class, Women and Children class, and regular Silver Class (economy). The first train was delivered to Dubai in March 2008. The metro will have a driverless operation and use third rail current collection. Trained wardens will be accompanying passengers to help with emergencies.
To allow fully automated operation, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions is supplying its SelTrac IS communications-based train control and NetTrac central control technology. This is configured for a minimum headway of 90 sec. Maximum speed of the trains will be 90 km/h, giving a round-trip time of 2 h 23 min for the Red Line and 1 h 23 min for the Green Line.
Transit type - Rapid transit
Number of lines - 4
Number of stations - 57
Operator(s) - Serco/Roads & Transport Authority
System length - 75 kilometers
Track gauge - 1435 mm
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