The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram was undertaken by a consortium of Alstom, Besix and Parsons. Construction has been divided into two phases: Phase 1, was expected to be open in April 2011, however it was delayed until November 2014. Upon completion, Phase 1 of the tramline will operate 11 trams, serving 11 stations, covering of route. The Phase 1 will cost AED 3.18 Billion. Some 9.5 kilometres of the Dubai Tram project will be built as part of the first Phase 1. Phase 2 will add 14 more trams and eight more stations along an additional of route. As of 10 October 2010, the construction work on Dubai Tramway had progressed according to the scheduled completion of 2014. However the project was put on hold a month later due to lack of finances. The construction of the tramway was resumed in January, 2011 with 30% of Phase 1 having been completed. In mid-2014, the tramline entered the testing phase, and it began operation in November 2014.
Operations
The Dubai Tram is operated bySerco under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority. There are over 80 certified drivers for the tram. To ensure the safety of the tram and the passengers, every driver is required to take an alcohol test before driving the tram. The trams also have a Dead man's switch, which the drivers are required to press every three to five seconds, failing which the tram will come to a halt.
Hours of operation and frequency
Services run 20 hours each day, and it takes 36 minutes to ride the entire length of the system. Trams run from 6:30 to 1:38. On Fridays, service starts at 9:00. Initially, the minimum headway is a tram every 6 minutes.
Fares
The tram has a fixed fare of AED 3 per trip regardless of the distance travelled, making it one of the cheapest fares for trams, compared to other cities. The fare for passengers using the Red Nol Ticket will be AED 4 per ride. A Nol Card can be used by passengers to check-in and check-out of the tram by scanning the card at the platform screen doors.
Rolling stock
The Dubai Tram use 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase 1. The trams are long with a capacity of 408 passengers. Maximum speed is, giving an average operational speed of. The trams use the "Alimentation par le Sol II" ground-level power supply, and so do not need overhead cables. This method was first used in Bordeaux, France. The Dubai Tram is the world’s first tram network to use platform screen doors at the stations, as well as a new Supervised Vehicle Operation mode that will ensure accurate station stop and safety during passenger transfer. The trams have Gold and silver classes, and space dedicated to women and children. The first tram was presented to Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Road & Transport Authority, at Alstom's La Rochelle factory on 14 June 2013.
