The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is operated by the UK-based Serco. 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]
Palm Jumeirah Monorail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Dubai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transit type | straddle-beam monorail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of lines | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of stations | 5 open, 1 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 (22 mph) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The trains are driverless, with attendants for any emergency situations.[1]
Construction began on the 5.45-kilometre (3.39 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 British company Serco.[6]
The project budget is US$400 million, with an additional US$190M set aside for a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) future extension to the Dubai Metro,[7] while other sources state a budget of US$1.1 billion.[8] A journey on the monorail costs Dhs20 one-way, 30 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] Nakheel Mall station opened on November 28, 2019.[10]
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.
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,[11] and the monorail ran "virtually empty".[12] As of July 2017[update], the line runs every 11 minutes and averages 3,000 passengers per day.[9]