The Crown Prince of Dubai was on hand to mark the opening of the first section of Dubai’s new tram network earlier this week.
Dubai’s tram system will be the first in the world to run exclusively on a ground-level power supply system. The 14.6-kilometre network utilises Alstom’s APS technology which only electrifies the section of track that the tram is travelling over.
The system is also responsible for a several other firsts for Alstom, becoming the first tram in the world to operate up to temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius and the first to have automatic platform screen doors.
The Al Sufouh network, which is operated by Serco, is being commissioned in two phases. The full network will serve 17 stops with a fleet of 25 Citadis trams.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum opened the first phase on November 11 alongside Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, His excellency Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Henri Poupart-Lafarge, president of Alstom Transport.
