Emaar Properties has unveiled plans for an advanced tram system for its Dh73 billion ($20 billion) Downtown Burj Dubai flagship project, which will be the first of its kind in Dubai by offering two synchronised services within one tram transportation system.

The 4.6 km Downtown Burj Dubai tram system has a development value of Dh500 million ($136 million) and will be developed in line with RTA’s vision for the Dubai Strategic Plan.
The tramline has been designed to meet the commuting needs of Downtown Burj Dubai’s residents and visitors and will provide sustainable links for users to and from the development with Dubai Metro in a timely, comfortable and affordable way.
The system, thus, creates an efficient transportation network to meet the demands of a mixed-use neighbourhood comprising over 30,000 homes, residential towers, nine world-class hotels and over 3.77 million sq ft of retail space, says a spokesman.
Phase One of the project will feature a 1.1 km twin track express link shuttle service line operating between the Burj Place interchange station with Dubai Metro and The Dubai Mall with an intermediate stop at a new hotel development, currently being planned.
The one-way journey time will be two to three minutes with one to two minutes between trams. It is scheduled to be operational by end of 2009.
Phase Two of the project will feature a 4.6 km full-loop, single-track, clockwise, commuter service operating from and to the Burj Place interchange station with Dubai Metro. It will service all 10 stations that network the 500-acre development featuring some of the world’s architectural milestones such as Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, and The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations. The complete one-way journey time will be approximately eight minutes. This phase is scheduled to be fully operational in 2010.
The line sections from Burj Place to Burj Dubai Boulevard will be supported on a viaduct structure and on bridges spanning two key roads.
Access to the station platforms will be through soft slopes and other specific amenities for ease of use of children and people with reduced mobility.
In a separate development, RTA has launched Dubai’s first tram system, a 14-km network connecting several key locations within the city.
The Dh4 billion ($1.1 billion) tram project will span 19 stations along Al Safooh Road, linking the Madinat Jumeirah and Mall of the Emirates with Dubai Marina and the Jumeirah Beach Residence.