Three months after launch, residents, commuters and motorists have their say on how rail network has affected them

Three months after launch, residents, commuters and motorists have their say on how rail network has affected them.

The Dubai Tram crossing an intersection in Dubai Marina. Photos by: Sarah Dea/The Nationa

DUBAI // The Dubai Tram has been up and running for little more than three months, but in that time it has brought huge changes to the neighbourhoods it serves.

After years of upheaval and roadworks, the system was finally opened in November last year to much fanfare and excitement. With passengers able to get from one end of the 10.6-kilometre route to the other for Dh3, it is a cost-effective way to travel around one of the emirate’s most densely populated neighbourhoods.

For commuters living in Dubai Marina, the network, the first of its kind in the Middle East, is a convenient form of public transport that gives them easy access to the beach, the mall as well as Media City and beyond thanks to connections with the area’s two metro stations.

But not everyone is happy. Motorists complain about extended waiting times at traffic lights, road closures to left-hand turns and longer journey times when driving through the marina. Dubai Police now also enforce new rules regarding the tram – the carriages have priority at junctions ahead of motorists – and have handed out 1,400 fines to drivers in breach of the rules.

Passengers also report snags with the system. Many are still confused over which trams follow the popular circular loop, that takes in Jumeirah Beach Residence and Marina Mall, and which head to Media City, Knowledge Village and Al Sufouh, as well as ticketing issues when people scan in and out of stations using Nol travel cards.

Our reporters tackled a set rush-hour route by tram, taxi and on foot to compare journeys. Taxis were slightly faster than walking – but more expensive – and the tram, although slowest, was much cheaper than the cab, and a lot cooler than walking.

Contents

1- A qualified success, say commuters

2- Residents and road users take different views of network

3- Riding the tram gives me freedom, says visually impaired passenger Yahye Siyad

4- Police get tough enforcing new road rules for Dubai Tram

5- Walking, riding the tram or catching a cab. Which is best?

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A qualified success, say commuters

DUBAI // It’s been a little more than three months since the Dubai Tram went into operation, but the impact it has had on the lives of people living in the densely-populated Dubai Marina has been huge. Commuters praise the system, the first rail network of its kind in the Middle East, as a cost-effective means of travel, while some motorists bemoan the longer waiting times at newly-installed traffic lights.

Karam Sbeta can catch an extra half-hour of sleep each morning now that he’s swapped the school bus for the tram.

Before the network was launched in November, Karam, 12, a student of Al Arqam private school in Al Barsha, walked with a backpack full of books to the Jumeirah Lakes Towers metro station or caught the school bus at 6am from his Jumeirah Beach Residence home.

Now he boards the tram at 6.40am to connect to the JLT metro.

“As soon as the tram opened I was on it. It’s so easy now because the tram stop is less than 100 metres from my house so I don’t have to wake up at 5.30am anymore,” said the Libyan grade 6 student who even chooses the tram and metro over travelling with his family by car at weekends.

“It’s a nice ride. I walk less, my bag does not feel so heavy and you can see so many things. I like the metro because you can see all Dubai. I like to take the tram and metro and meet my family at the place we decided.”

Accounting student Arezu Sheikhzada chooses the tram over a taxi to get to classes at Knowledge Village, but wishes the frequency of trams along her route to Al Sufouh would improve.

“It’s so much easier to take the tram instead of convincing a taxi driver but the tram sometimes takes more than 17 minutes to arrive, it should be more frequent.”

The overall verdict is that the tram, with 11 stations along a 10.6-kilometre route, has slashed travel time, and many hassles, for commuters.

Apart from students and office workers connecting to the metro, mothers with toddlers also ride the tram daily to reach nurseries along the route.

However, several issues remain, such as non-operational lifts in Dubai Marina and JLT stations, clear displays on the electronic boards to help distinguish the shorter loop route between four stations of Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence from the longer ride to Al Sufouh depot.

Mothers haul children and strollers up the stairs or ask fellow commuters for help when both the lift and escalator fail at Marina and JLT tram stations.

“Some people are kind enough to help or how do you manage with small children?” asked Maria Monem, a Swedish mother with two daughters.

“They need to have more signs so it’s clear and you don’t need to keep asking if the tram is going around the Marina. Also with the current route, you have to go all around JBR to get to Marina Mall, so usually it’s faster to just walk.”

To avoid commuters boarding the wrong service, attendants at tram stations repeatedly ask passengers if they want to travel by the loop service and then direct them to the right tram.

The loop service also has signs inside the trams advising passengers, “Dear passengers kindly note that this is an exclusive JBR & Marina Loop Service Tram.”

Still, regulars such as Hanem Saidani, a make-up artist who works in Dubai Marina Mall, boarded the wrong tram.

“I travel by tram every day but it happened to me twice and I got so upset that I just got down and took the taxi,” said the Tunisian.

“The attendants speak English, so what about commuters who only speak Arabic? Anyway, I like the tram it takes me less than one hour to get to work now instead of an hour and 20 minutes it took before. It has made life easier.”

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Residents and road users take different views of network

DUBAI // The jury is still out on whether the tram is the cause of traffic tailbacks around Dubai Marina. Some residents blame the sleek steel coaches for monopolising road space, others say congestion has eased.

“I know the tram made some people’s lives easier, but it has made mine more difficult,” said Mark Najjar, who lives in Jumeirah Beach Residence along JBR1 and JBR2 tram stations. “When I go back home, I can be stuck in traffic for up to an hour all because of the tram and the new traffic lights.”

Drivers blame blocked u-turns for increasing travel time by 45 minutes to an hour. The Roads and Transport Authority has cited safety requirements for restrictions at five junctions.

“Many residents living towards the end of Dubai Marina, near Exit 29, got a slap in the face when the u-turn to JBR and the rest of Dubai Marina was blocked,” said Malek M, a Marina resident.

“Now from my house to Marina Mall, I have to take the exit, go all the way to JLT and u-turn. It’s so frustrating that a five-minute drive takes at least three times longer.”

Emirati Abu Rashid said dangerous driving is checked.

“I’m happy because unacceptable behaviour has stopped,” said the businessman who lives in Jumeirah Beach Residence.

Other residents have timed traffic signals and say that the longer wait at signals does not compare to being stuck in jams.

“The frequency of red lights is more and your wait at the signal is longer but it’s cleaner, more organised,” said Divya Mehta, a Dubai Marina resident. The longest she has waited at a traffic light is four minutes.

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Riding the tram gives me freedom, says visually impaired passenger Yahye Siyad

DUBAI // For two years, Yahye Siyad used his white cane to get by Dubai’s busy traffic junctions. Following the tram launch three months ago, the visually-impaired human resources executive now only has to walk across a quiet car park.

“For two years, I walked from Nakheel metro station to my office crossing signals,” said Mr Siyad, 31, who has had retina dystrophy since birth. “My neighbour, who works nearby, showed me the way once, and then I walked on my own. The tram makes me independent.” He moved from the UK to Dubai three years ago.

“When the tram came, it gave me the same sense of independence I had in the UK,” said Mr Siyad, a British citizen of Somali origin. He also uses the bus to commute around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Public transport in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is free for people with special needs.

“The free pass the government gives is definitely an incentive to use public transport,” he said. “Unlike other big cities, Dubai’s transport system is new.”

Mr Siyad expressed confusion about the loop service and the longer tram route and hopes for better-trained and more available staff.

“I got on the wrong tram twice, but now listen carefully to announcements and I’ve memorised the stops,” said Mr Siyad, who walks from his home to the JLT tram station.

Ahmed Karim, a vision impaired administration co-ordinator with the Emirates Association for the Blind, also asked for improved accessibility across the UAE.

“There should be guidance so you know where the stairs are,” said Mr Karim.

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Police get tough enforcing new road rules for Dubai Tram

DUBAI // The police have recorded more than 1,400 breaches on the tram route – an average of 16 a day – since its launch on November 11.

The trams are monitored by 269 officers in 16 police units, said Col Saif Al Mazrouei, the director of the General Department of Traffic.

There are 65 radars to monitor speed and traffic breaches, and infringements range from running a red light to flouting u-turn and left-turn restrictions. “We warn motorist to be cautious while driving near the tram to avoid any accidents,” he said. “People should abide by the speed limits that have been set.”

If a motorist causes a fatality when jumping a red light and crashes into the tram, the fine is between Dh10,000 and Dh30,000, plus confiscation of their licence from a month to a year.

“A motorist can be fined between Dh2,000 and Dh5,000 if he runs a tram’s red light and does not cause an incident,” he said. “But if an incident and/or injury occurs, he can be fined anywhere between Dh5,000 and Dh15,000.”

The vehicle can be confiscated from 30 days up to six months.

There have been two accidents involving the tram. A motorist jumped a red light and rammed into a tram on a trial run in October. The second occurred in December, when another vehicle crossed a red light. There were no injuries in both cases.

Subsequently, left turns and u-turns were blocked by the Roads and Transport Authority at five junctions where traffic flow runs in the same direction as the tram.

“The RTA conducted a comprehensive study to assess the situation regarding overlapping tram and traffic at six junctions at the Marina and JBR,” said Mattar Al Tayer, the executive director of RTA.

Until the end of last year, of the 53 people fined by the RTA 43 were commuters who forgot to validate their Nol card. Users can be charged Dh210 for not validating their Nol cards

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Walking, riding the tram or catching a cab. Which is best?

The Dubai Tram’s most popular route is a loop from Jumeirah Beach Residences to Dubai Marina Mall.

We compared three ways of getting around – on foot, by cab and by tram – from JBR Station 1 to the Marina Mall for ease, cost and time of journey.

Taxi

Taking a cab from Jumeirah Beach Residence to Dubai Marina Mall is not as easy as it sounds in the morning rush hour because of the high number of people looking for a ride to work.

At exactly 8.30am I was near JBR 1 tram station waiting for a taxi. I caught a cab at 8:42am and reached Dubai Marina Mall at 8.49am. The metered fare was Dh11, but the minimum charge for the route is Dh12. A quick trip, but not without frustrations.

On foot

The walk from JBR 1 Tram station to Marina Mall over the bridge took nine minutes. The weather during the 8.30am rush hour was perfect, with a cool breeze and mild temperatures.

I began my journey by crossing the bridge, although a section of the structure still appears to require some work.

As cars lined up at the traffic lights on Al Sufouh Road, the pavements were all but clear of pedestrians apart from a few trying to hail a taxi.

I took a right onto Al Marsa Street before crossing the road. At one point, the pavement ended and I had to cross a sandy area before completing my journey.

People who live close to the JBR 1 tram station and are willing to take exercise can avoid much of the time spent waiting for the tram to complete the journey or save themselves the expense of getting a taxi by walking. During the winter it is an attractive and cost-effective option.

In the summer months, air-conditioned tram carriages will be far more appealing.

Tram

It took a relaxed 11 minutes from the time the 8.30am tram trundled into the Jumeirah Beach Residence 1 station to reach Marina Mall.

It took another four to walk into the mall using the walkway from the tram station instead of darting across the road to the mall like several other commuters.

The tram was fairly busy, with 38 people in the regular class and six more in the gold section. The leisurely tram ride picks up the pace in the three-minute stretch from Jumeirah Lakes Towers to the mall.

At tram stations, the attendants repeatedly caution passengers to validate their nol cards before and after exiting.

Inside the tram too, an attendant checks nol cards. There is a Dh210 fine if you forget to check in and board the tram.

Total time: 15 minutes. Tram travel: 11 minutes. Fare: Dh3