November 11, 2014 and Dubai had another very important milestone! The long awaited Dubai Tram is now operational. Residents and tourists can use the trams to get around Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence and along Al Sufouh Road.

The first phase of the tram project has 11 stations and 11 seven-car trams that will travel the line’s 10.6 kilometres in 42 minutes, at an average of 15kph and top speed of 50kph.

Two metro stations connects to the tram which makes it very convenient. Personally, we have avoided going to this side of Dubai especially during the weekend as the traffic is bad but with the tram, we might finally visit the new malls off JBR!

Tram Factbox (Reference from The National)

• Number of carriages – 7
• Number of classes – 3 – gold, silver and women and children
• Number of passengers that the tram can carry – 405
• Tram timings – 6.30am to 1.30am next day. Fridays 9am to 1.30am next day. Trams every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 12 off-peak.
• Speed of the tram – 50kph
• Number of stations – 11
• Number of trains – 11
• Distance covered by the tram – 10.6km
• Total time taken to cover this distance – 42 minutes
• Time between each tram – six minutes
• Tram fares – Dh3

I will be going to Dubai Marina tomorrow and it’s a relief I won’t have to walk far and instead take the tram, for the first time! I am excited and will blog about my experience soon!

Top photo credit: Antonie Robertson/The National