Metro's Rollercoaster Ride

The city could be the newest destination for rollercoaster aficionados come September 2009 when the first line of the new Dh25.5-billion Dubai Metro opens.

While obviously not a real rollercoaster, the new driverless Metro system will have its ups and downs that will take 650 million passengers yearly on a sedate thrill ride never experienced in the city before.

Officials of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) couldn’t provide actual highs and lows of the new light rapid mass transit system as they measure in metres, but did say quietly that meetings were held within the organisation in recent months to discuss engineering challenges.

This has been done before around the world. Engineering wise, it's very normal. Senior RTA Official

The bottom line for Metro designers was simple – create a smooth ride but also avoid existing obstacles to the system’s first Red Line track such as bridges and intersections.

The end result?

Riders will experience real elevation changes as the track goes up and over bridges as well as down and under concrete flyovers.

"Generally, it [public perception] could go either way," said one senior RTA official, who declined to be identified.

"It could make us look like a joke, but other engineers know that this has been done before around the world. Engineering wise, it’s very normal," he said.

Another RTA manager called the climbing and descending sections of track "an unavoidable cost of doing business in Dubai".

When each train leaves Union Square in Deira for the 52.1 kilometre Red Line route towards its end destination in Jebel Ali, it will descend at up to 100km/h into a tube 35 metres below sea level and within less than a minute will ascend sharply on the Bur Dubai side of the creek toward Bur Dubai.

When the train pops out from below ground, the new Metro five-carriage set will then rumble toward Shaikh Zayed Road where ongoing construction is revealing an exciting ride to come for passengers.

From ground level, the track now being placed atop a series of viaducts will climb to more than 15 metres to pass over the Trade Centre overpass and will then gradually descend once again for the flat run past Emirates Towers.

In rollercoaster fashion, the Metro will once again climb skyward to pass over the Defence Roundabout beginning what is to become an over-and-under experience until the track reaches past Ibn Battuta Mall.

At several intersections westward, construction has positioned the viaducts to climb above existing overpasses on Shaikh Zayed Road.

At the Fourth Intersection, the Metro passes over and stays high to avoid the Mall of Emirates access road but then dips under the next overpass and stays near the ground through the overpass at Media City.

The train will then climb over the next intersection and then dip again at the next overpass and stay under as it speeds under three overpasses at Dubai Marina.

Just before Ibn Battuta Mall, the Metro will climb once again upwards over two more overpasses and then stay aloft to pass over the Jebel Ali Village off ramp as well as the Jebel Ali Industrial flypass.

From there, the Metro goes immediately to ground where construction workers are now busy building a new concrete half-box to encase the track.