Testing of Palm Jumeirah trains to begin in October

Testing of the trains that will run on The Palm Jumeirah's monorail system will begin in October, Nakheel announced yesterday.

The mass-transit service will operate from Gateway Station at the base of the manmade island to the Atlantis hotel. Passenger services are due to start next April but before that the trains and track will undergo stringent tests overseen by international experts.

"The Palm monorail is not only the first system of its kind to be completed in the Middle East but is also setting global standards for the transportation industry," said Robert Lee, Managing Director, Investment Projects, at Nakheel.

"We have employed state-of-the-art technology to overcome a number of challenges – running 1,000m of rail over the sea, meeting Dubai's climatic conditions and avoiding disturbing The Palm communities by utilising a virtually silent system."

"The double track has been completed on schedule and we will soon receive the vehicles from Japan. We will then begin a meticulous six-month testing period. In preparation for this process a number of our staff travelled to Osaka to be trained."