Why Abu Dhabi's tram project is a key stop on the route to connecting the capital

The new tram line set to connect locations in Abu Dhabi could spark further growth in the area, according to transport analysts, who are keen to see the network expand.

As revealed this week, the first phase of the Abu Dhabi Light Rail Transit project will link attractions in Yas Island with Zayed International Airport, with further lines likely later on.

Marcus Enoch, professor in transport strategy at Loughborough University in the UK, said that trams were good at increasing land values and sparking development in a way that bus services typically were not.

“When you have some sort of railway, whether a tram or train, governments are confident that increases land values,” said Prof Enoch. “As soon as you put rails in the ground there’s a perception the service won’t disappear.”

Expanding transport network

The scheme, announced by Abu Dhabi Transport Company at the Global Rail conference in Abu Dhabi, and approved by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, will eventually consist of three phases.

Initial plans centre on linking Yas Gateway Park, Ferrari World, Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Bay to Zayed International Airport, Etihad Plaza and Al Raha Mall.

Prof Enoch said that further development around the areas linked by the new tram was “certainly what the Abu Dhabi government will be hoping” to see.

“I imagine it’s a big driver behind why they’re building it,” he said. “Railways are still seen as a big development tool, much more than buses.”

Dr Alexandra Gomes, a research fellow at the London School of Economics who has studied planning and transport in Abu Dhabi, called the newly announced line “a good starting point”.

She said that if the new tram service helped to reduce the number of private cars in the city, “that is already a positive step”, and indicated that she would like to see the network expand.

“At present, however, the line seems to focus mainly on connecting the airport with key attractions, rather than serving daily commuters who still need to drive to work,” she said. “This is a good starting point, but ideally the tram line should be extended to link more central areas, such as downtown, and then connect outward to residential, cultural and commercial districts.

“In less dense districts, Abu Dhabi should consider an integrated transport system, ensuring that tram routes, in the future, connect smoothly with other public transport modes, such as buses feeding in to the tram network.”

Dr Gomes said that a dedicated lane for the tram was “essential”, as this would allow it to compete effectively with private vehicles that were often slowed by traffic congestion.

A connected city

Walkability around transport nodes is crucial, according to Dr Gomes, who was behind a major exhibition in the UAE capital and London called Abu Dhabi (Dis)connected, which highlighted the way the city’s roads could separate neighbourhoods.

“Using these new routes to encourage greater density and create a more compact, connected city would strengthen the public transport system and make it more competitive with the private car,” she added.

It was also important to consider, Dr Gomes said, the cost of using the tram, since the aim should be to encourage people to shift from cars to public transport, and the potential to introduce, as in other cities, a multimodal pass that included existing and future modes of transport. “Such a pass would make it easier for people to move around the city and even the wider region,” she said.

Prof Enoch, author of Roads Not Yet Travelled – Transport Futures for 2050, said that trams were typically seen as sitting in between metros and buses in terms of cost and function.

Metro systems are the most expensive, he said, and were best suited to moving large numbers of people over a small areas and were typically completely separate from other transport infrastructure.

Trams, often also called light rail, are less costly and sometimes share the use of road lanes with cars and other vehicles, which could cause delays but meant that the trams were very close to areas of demand. Buses are the cheapest option, but were off-putting to some people.

“Typically you have metros in massive cities like Shanghai, London or New York, and tram-type [transport] in medium cities like Nottingham [in the UK] or Stuttgart [in Germany],” he said.

“You can have trams on the edge of big cities. Croydon [in South London] has one and there’s all sorts of things being built on the edges of Paris. They’re cheaper than metros – not quite as effective at shifting people, but not bad … people who normally wouldn’t be seen on a bus, they might be prepared to us a tram for certain journeys.”

Abu Dhabi’s tram line has been announced amid a flurry of developments in rail transport in the UAE and across the Gulf region.

Rail plans gather pace

Etihad Rail’s passenger service is set to launch next year, with four stations announced so far – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah. The journey time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be about 57 minutes.

Additional potential stations at Sila, Mirfa, Madinat Zayed in the Al Dhafra Region and Al Dhaid were highlighted on an Etihad Rail map on display at the Global Rail conference but have yet to be confirmed.

The ultimate aim is that passenger services will link the UAE to Oman and other countries in the GCC. Freight trains already operate on the line.

As well as the conventional UAE-wide passenger rail network, which will use the latest diesel rolling stock, Etihad Rail will later launch an electrified high-speed line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai that will reach speeds of 350kph and cut the journey time between the two cities to a mere 30 minutes.

Etihad Rail’s passenger rail network will connect to existing public transport infrastructure, including Dubai Metro, which is expanding from the existing red and green lines to include a blue line, set to open in 2029.