Nakheel, leading Dubai-based real estate master developer, has officially opened the Palm Monorail to the public at a ceremony held at Gateway Station, Palm Jumeirah on April 30, 2009.
The monorail, which is the first transport system of its kind to open in the Middle East, is now running 4 trains between the Gateway Towers and Atlantis stations, with a capacity of 2,400 passengers per hour per day. The service runs from 8:00am-10:00pm daily with tickets costing Dh15 for a single journey and Dh25 for a round trip. The system will be increased to 9 trains per hour with a capacity of 6,000 passengers per hour per day once connected to the Dubai Metro.
Marwan Al Qamzi, Executive MD, Nakheel Southern Projects, said, “The Palm Monorail is now open to the public after months of rigorous testing and trials. The opening is a significant step in the creation of a fully integrated public transport system for Dubai.”
State-of-the-art technology has been employed to overcome a number of challenges including running 1,000 m of rail over-sea, meeting Dubai’s unique climatic conditions and protecting the communities of Palm Jumeirah from noise pollution by using a virtually silent track system. Developed by a consortium of leading international companies, led by the Marubeni Corporation, the Palm Monorail’s system is fully automatic and driverless, although an attendant will be on board at all times.
