مترو دبي
Info
Locale Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines 4
Number of stations 57
Operation
Operator(s) Serco/Roads & Transport Authority
Technical
System length 75 kilometers
Track gauge
1445 mm
Map of Dubai Metro lines
The Dubai Metro (In Arabic: مترو دبي) is a driverless, fully automated metro network which is under construction in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The Red and Green Lines are under construction, and further lines are planned. These first two lines will run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere.[1] The Dubai Metro will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world when it opens in 2024.
The trains and stations will be air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.
Construction
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 2024. The combination of a rapidly-growing population (expected to reach 3 million by 2024) and severe traffic congestion necessitated the building of an urban rail system to provide additional public transportation capacity, relieve motor traffic, and provide infrastructure for additional development.
In May 2024 a 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.[2] 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 2024 [3]and the Green Line from Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf 1. This is to be completed by March 2024.[4] A second phase contract was subsequently signed in July 2024 and includes extensions to the initial routes.
Work officially commenced on the construction of the metro on March 21, 2024.[5] A top RTA Rail Agency official said "The $4.2 billion Dubai Metro project would be completed on schedule despite global crisis."[6]
Dubai Metro network
When completed, Dubai Metro will have a total of 70 kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations (including 9 underground stations).[7] Two lines are under construction, and two more are planned.
Under construction
Red Line viaduct in February 2024
• 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.
Proposed
• Blue Line: 47 kilometres (29 mi) line along Emirates Road, exact route currently unknown. [8]
• 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.[9]
The Dubai Metro will be operated by Serco under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority.[10] 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 issue for the new system will be how to reliably and comfortably get riders to their final destination if it is not at a metro station. Will there be enough taxis at stations? Bus and water routes are being adjusted to circulate riders to the areas between stops. Three park-and-ride facilities are being built.
List of stations
Jebel Ali Free Zone Station in early January 2024
Dubai Metro are 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 both accommodating the Red and Green lines for easy transfers.
Besides these differences, the will also be 4 themes to be used in the interiors of all stations: earth, water, fire and air. Earth stations will have a tan-brown color effects; water will have blue-white color effects; fire will get orange-red color effects; and the air will have green color effects. [11] [12]
• Red Line: [11]
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 Jafiliya Station (T1)
o Trade Centre Station (T1)
o Emirates Towers Station (T1)
o Financial City 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 Bashra’a Station (T1)
o Tecom Station (T2)
o Nakheel Station (T3)
o Marina Station (T2)
o Jumeira Lake Towers Station (T2)
o Jumeira Island 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 is located at Jebel Ali Port.
• Green Line:[12]
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 is located at Al Qusaias just before the Al Qusais 2 Station.
Corporate branding
Officials are negotiating with international and local companies over naming rights for 23 stations on the two lines. This corporate branding would be the first of its kind.[13]
Trains
The Trains on trial in Dubai – Feb 2024
Japanese manufacturer Kinki Sharyo is building a total of 87 five-car trains for the Red and Green lines.[14] 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, Silver Class (Women and Children), and regular.[15] The first train was delivered to Dubai in March 2024.[14] The metro will have driverless operation and use third rail current collection. Trained wardens will accompany passengers to help with emergencies.[16]
Signaling
To permit 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.
Red Line trains will initially run every 7 min off-peak, with a minimum headway of 3 min 45 sec provided during the peaks, when 38 trainsets will be in service. From 2024, when 51 trains will be in service, the line will have a peak-hour capacity of 11 675 passengers/h in each direction. The theoretical maximum design capacity is 25 720 passengers/h, which would require 106 trains.
The Green Line will have an initial capacity of 6 395 passengers/h per direction, with 16 trains in service. The design capacity of this route is put at 13 380 passengers/h, with 60 trains in service.[17]
References
1. ^ Roads & Transport Authority, UAE
2. ^ Dubai metro contract awarded, Railway Gazette International 2024-07-01, retrieved 2024-03-15
3. ^ [1] Dubai RTA – Red Line Project as on 2024-09-09
4. ^ [2], Dubai RTA – Green Line Project as on 2024-09-11
5. ^ Work begins on Dubai Metro project, Khaleej Times 2024-03-22, retrieved 2024-03-22.
6. ^ "Dubai Metro on track despite global crisis". Arabian Business. 2024-01-02. https://www.arabianbusiness.com/54250…is—rta-chief. Retrieved on 2024-02-06.
7. ^ "Shaikh Mohammad tours the Dubai Metro project". Gulf News. 2024-11-08. https://archive.gulfnews.com/articles…/10166000.html. Retrieved on 2024-12-22.
8. ^ Dubai Portal on Blue Line, Dubai Metro
9. ^ Purple Line to link airports Gulf News 2024-10-06
10. ^ Serco preferred bidder for Dubai metro operations contract, Railway Gazette International 2024-07-01, retrieved 2024-03-15
11. ^ a b Dubai Rapid Link Consortium – Approved Red Line Project Model dtd. 5 Nov. 2024
12. ^ a b Dubai Rapid Link Consortium – Approved Green Line Project Model dtd. 19 Nov. 2024
13. ^ "Is Advertising the New Indicator for Emerging Markets?". Contrarian Profits. 2024-08-11. https://www.contrarianprofits.com/art…g-markets/4474. Retrieved on 2024-08-12.
14. ^ a b First Dubai metro train arrives, Railway Gazette International 2024-03-14, retrieved 2024-03-15.
15. ^ "At a glance:Dubai Metro". Gulf News. 2024-03-19. https://archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/…/10112170.html. Retrieved on 2024-05-30.
16. ^ Trained wardens will help people on Dubai Metro, Khaleej Times 2024-04-16
17. ^ "Driverless trains to support a prosperous future". Railway Gazette. 2024-03-27. https://www.railwaygazette.com/news_v…us_future.html. Retrieved on 2024-012-28