Al Sufouh Tram

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Al Sofouh Tram Project, Dubai, UAE


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The Al Sufouh Tram System will service between 180,000 and 220,000 commuters living in or near the Al Sufouh (or Al Sofouh / Al Safouh) area of Dubai. The route runs between Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Marina which has prompted its nickname - 'The Shopping Trolley'. The first phase of the tram system is expected to start operating in September 2009, with construction contract to be awarded in January 2008 and construction beginning in the first quarter of 2008.

Bidders for the contract include Alstom (France), Ansaldo (Italy), Marubeni Corp (Japan), Leighton Holdings (Australia), and Siemens (Germany).

The preliminary design study started in June 2007 and it is hoped that the tram will become a tourist attraction, as well as easing traffic congestion. The tram route will be integrated into Dubai's wider public transport network with links to public buses and the Dubai Metro. The RTA (Road & Transport Authority Dubai) is in charge of the development of the Al Sofouh Tram Project, along with other planned rail solutions for public transport in Dubai.

The details of the Al Sufouh Tram route are from Dubai Marina / Jumeirah Beach residence via Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village to Madinat Jumeirah, Mall of the Emirates and Burj Al Arab. Tram capacity will be 5200 passengers per hour in each direction. It should also provide access to Ibn Battuta Mall.

About 19 stations are planned for the 14 km tram route, including 3 interchange stations with the Red Line of the Dubai Metro at Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers. The Al Sofouh Tram network will also connect to the Jumeirah Palm Mono Rail eventually. Value of the project is about AED 2 billion.

The Al Sofouh trams will have drivers since they will be on normal roads with traffic (the Dubai Metro is driverless).

Eventually there will be 270 km of tram network in Dubai on 7 different tram routes, costing about AED 9.2 billion. Completion scheduled for 2020. Some information from Gulf News interview December 2007 with Engineer Abdul Majid Khaja, CEO of the Rail Agency at the RTA.

Al Sofouh Tram route map - this is a speculation only, not an official route map

Al Sufouh tram approximate route map

Miscellaneous notes

MVA Consultancy recommended the tram service as part of a transport study for the Al Sufouh area. MVA are based in the UK and have an office in Dubai. They are also involved with the Dubai Metro project.
Consultants are Systra (who are also involved with the Dubai Metro). MVA were commissioned by Systra in May 2007 to provide the traffic management plan for the Al Sufouh Tram Project. MVA is a subsidiary of Systra.
First Al Sufouh tram route was proposed in 2005, running from the Burj Al Arab metro station on Shaikh Zayed road, down Umm Suqeim road to Madinat Jumeirah, along Al Sufouh road to Dubai Marina and back to Sheikh Zayed road at the Jumeirah Lake Towers metro station.
A planned extension to the Al Sufouh tram will run along Jumeirah Beach Rd from the Burj Al Arab to Union House (at the Al Diyafah St end of Jumeirah Beach Road).
Alstom of France have been reported as interested in supplying its Citadis trams to Dubai for tram networks. They have supplied trams for other Systra projects.
MEED (a Middle East business magazine) reported in December 2007 that Alstom (France), Ansaldo (ITALY), Marubeni Corp (Japan), Leighton Holdings Ltd (Australia) and Siemens (Germany) were companies part of the three groups bidding for the Al Sofouh tram design-and-build contract.
A 4 km tram network is possibly under consideration for the Bur Dubai area.

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Al Sofouh Tram Project, Dubai, UAE

Al Sofouh Tram route map - this is a speculation only, not an official route map

Miscellaneous notes

This information last updated Friday 14-Mar-2008

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