Nakheel, one of the largest privately-held real estate developers, said the Palm Monorail, the first-of-its-kind monorail project in the Middle East, will be open for visitors of Palm Jumeirah from April this year.

Renowned for its innovation and pioneering projects, Nakheel said the Palm Monorail sets global standards for the transportation industry.

The company recently hosted a delegation from the Road Transport Authority (RTA) on the Palm Monorail’s first official ride.

The delegation, led by RTA chief executive officer Abdulmajid Al Khaja, travelled from Gateway Station at the trunk of Palm Jumeirah to Atlantis Aquaventure Station.

The journey between the two stations which are at either end of the monorail track, covering a distance of 5.45 kilometres took eight minutes.

Chris O’Donnell, CEO, Nakheel said: “On the first official journey between Gateway station and Atlantis station representatives from both Nakheel and RTA were able to experience this fabulous example of modern transportation, design and construction.'

'We have been working very closely with our strategic partner RTA since the Palm Monorail’s inception,' he explained.

'Our co-operation with RTA extends as far as a joint ticketing system that will enable holders of a RTA farecard to pay for journeys on the Palm Monorail,' O'Donnell added.

“As a result of this cooperation we are delighted to be able to announce that the Palm Monorail will be open for visitors of Palm Jumeirah from April 2009,” he said.

Abdulmajid Al Khaja, CEO of RTA said the partnership with Nakheel on the Palm Monorail project had been a very fruitful and exciting experience.

'It is the culmination of many dedicated people’s hard work and commitment that has allowed us to experience the first official ride on the Palm Monorail.'

'Together, Nakheel and RTA have been focused on delivering a transport service which will enhance the other transportation projects currently underway in Dubai,' he pointed out.

'When we connect the Palm Monorail to the Metro we will be able to offer passengers a seamless journey from Dubai International Airport to the hotels on Palm Jumeirah, using just one farecard,' Al Khaja explained.

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.

State-of-the-art technology has been employed to overcome a number of challenges including running 1,000m 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.

The monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 passengers per hour per direction in four separate trains, each made up of three cars.

At full capacity, the figure will rise to a maximum of 6,000 people in nine vehicles. “As we enter the final stages of completion we look forward to the next important stage of welcoming Dubai’s residents and many visitors here on board,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service