DUBAI: Live testing of the Palm Monorail that will transport thousands of visitors on Palm Jumeirah each day will commence this October, it was announced here yesterday.
The system will be ready for passenger transport by April 2009.
The Palm Monorail is the first monorail project to be built in the Middle East. Construction company Nakheel has laid 100 percent of the 5.45-km track, while the monorail cars, which are engineered by railway system manufacturer Hitachi, are undergoing final inspection in Japan before arriving in Dubai.
“The Palm Monorail is not only the first system of its kind to be completed in the Middle East but also setting global standards for the transportation industry. We have employed state-of-the-art technology to overcome a number of challenges, whether that is running 1,000 meters of rail over sea, meeting Dubai’s unique climatic conditions, or protecting the communities of Palm Jumeirah by utilizing a virtually silent track system,” said Robert Lee, Nakheel’s managing director for investment projects.
“The double track system has been completed on schedule and we will soon receive the monorail vehicles from Japan and will begin a meticulous six-month testing period. With the full cooperation of the authorities, we expect to have the monorail operational and capable of carrying more than 40,000 passengers each day by April 2009.”
The Road Transport Authority is working closely with the Office of British Rail for the Palm Monorail’s inspection, and eventually the certification process. Once the Palm Monorail system is connected with Dubai Metro, tourists will be able to leave Dubai airport on the metro.
The Palm Monorail system is fully automatic and driverless, although an attendant will be on board at all times.
The monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 passengers per hour per direction in four separate trains, each made up of three cars. At full capacity, the figure will rise to 6,000 people in nine cars.
Nakheel signed a technical agreement in December 2006, which will see the Osaka monorail team provide technical advice and training for staff during a six-month testing period. Construction work, which began in March 2006, was completed in July 2008.
