# What are they doing to the Marina ?



## Jager (May 26, 2012)

I just got back from a couple of weeks out of town and see ugly blue metal fences have sprung up all around the Marina Walk, cutting off the restaurants and cafes on both sides of the water. What's going on ?








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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

They're replacing all of the pavements I think, every time it rains, it displaces the paving bricks some more. At least, that's what's happening at the other end of the Marina.


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## ash_ak (Jan 22, 2011)

everytime i come back from a few weeks out of town, i see new lane closures, new traffic lights but the same old traffic jams. I am trying to understand who is really going to benefit from the tram service. is it a last mile connectivity point to the metro. They could have easily achieved that by plying more buses from the metro stations. Seems like a sinful waste of money for a tram route that's barely 5 kms long.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I don't think anyone understands the tram.

They've been working on it since 2008! 

And you're right, it really doesn't seem to do much other than connect the Marina to Knowledge Village/Media City, but even there it doesn't penetrate the area but leaves you on the outskirts. A bus would be much cheaper and more flexible. 

The Marina is predominately residential and most people in the Marina work outside the Marina, so the tram doesn't help them. 

It's like the Palm Monorail. It'll be used primarily by tourists and probably operate at heavy losses. If Dubai wanted a tram then a route around Bur Dubai/Deira would be much more beneficial. Or possibly even a long tram that runs the length of the Beach Road from Bur Dubai to the Marina. 



ash_ak said:


> everytime i come back from a few weeks out of town, i see new lane closures, new traffic lights but the same old traffic jams. I am trying to understand who is really going to benefit from the tram service. is it a last mile connectivity point to the metro. They could have easily achieved that by plying more buses from the metro stations. Seems like a sinful waste of money for a tram route that's barely 5 kms long.


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## RandomDude (Mar 7, 2014)

The tram was and is an illigimate son of the crazy 2006-2008 days

Any project was being approved, regardless how ridiculous or costly it was.

Spot on guys, mainly tourists, and operating with losses.


I'm waiting up for the dreadful accidents actually


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## Jager (May 26, 2012)

Gavtek said:


> They're replacing all of the pavements I think, every time it rains, it displaces the paving bricks some more. At least, that's what's happening at the other end of the Marina.


I had assumed the fencing was to do with the paving replacement (and nothing to do with the tram), but they've never done more than 200m stretches at a time and even then it takes them forever. 

If they are hoping to repave the areas they've fenced off, based on past performances they'll still be working on it next summer.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

It's just going to cause more traffic where it crosses the road, I can see JBR being quite bad (Not that it isn't already)


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## mikaelus (Apr 28, 2014)

Do you really have to drive everywhere? I mean, honestly, what's wrong with taking public transportation in a fairly secluded area like this? I live in Marina and will gladly take the tram - a small public transportation loop that allows people to travel within the district. And it's electric so it means less fumes. 

It's already difficult enough to park anywhere, so taking a car for short drives defeats the purpose. It's a pretty decent way to push the cars out of here.


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## ash_ak (Jan 22, 2011)

mikaelus said:


> Do you really have to drive everywhere? I mean, honestly, what's wrong with taking public transportation in a fairly secluded area like this? I live in Marina and will gladly take the tram - a small public transportation loop that allows people to travel within the district. And it's electric so it means less fumes.
> 
> It's already difficult enough to park anywhere, so taking a car for short drives defeats the purpose. It's a pretty decent way to push the cars out of here.


Forget driving, I can cover the entire tram route by walk and believe me I do that back from work, whenever the weather permits. Point is, they should have made it longer so it's more useful for a bigger part of the population. For one district, a bus service would have been adequate.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

They should add an extra 3-4 trains per direction on the Metro first tbh.


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## mikaelus (Apr 28, 2014)

I like walking too but that's not the point. Heck, I can walk 20km in 40C, just because I like to. But sometimes sweating through my blazer is not really that exciting. When I want to go to the store on the other side of the Marina I don't necessarily want to walk 2 or 3km. Similarly walking from JBR to the metro is not the wisest idea if you have a meeting in public later. In the 15mins you do that you'll be soaked - and then enter a cold fridge.

I think tram is a nice idea and leaves options for further expansion in both directions. You have to start somewhere. I prefer a tram to a polluting bus. It's nicer and it's faster.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

We're not arguing against the concept of public transportation.

It's that the tram is a very expensive proposition and ideally any form of heavy or light rail should be placed to move the maximum number of people from one place to another. Rail is very successful when it serves commuters. The issue with the Marina is that it's predominately residential and most Marina residents work outside the Marina. The tram isn't going to be moving people from their apartments to their workplace and vice versa, at least in sufficient numbers to justify its existence. It's not going to do anything to solve the traffic jams in/out of the Marina, and the Marina is already pretty walkable once you're in it. How many people are actually going to be hopping on the tram to get from their apartment in the Marina to a nearby hotel or restaurant? 

Look at the Palm Monorail. Is it used by Palm residents? No. Why? Because it really doesn't go anywhere. 

The tram would make more sense if it linked the Marina with JLT, which is a big employment centre, or with Media and Internet Cities, two other employment centers. But it doesn't. 



mikaelus said:


> Do you really have to drive everywhere? I mean, honestly, what's wrong with taking public transportation in a fairly secluded area like this? I live in Marina and will gladly take the tram - a small public transportation loop that allows people to travel within the district. And it's electric so it means less fumes.
> 
> It's already difficult enough to park anywhere, so taking a car for short drives defeats the purpose. It's a pretty decent way to push the cars out of here.


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## mikaelus (Apr 28, 2014)

Talking about costs and prices in UAE sounds a bit out of place to be honest. If it's better it deserves investment - and it is. As I said - you have to start somewhere. Adding traffic in form of buses doesn't make Marina any nicer to people living here. The point of the tram is to push cars out of the Marina and leave more space for a quick, electric, means of transportation which will not be bogged down by jams. 

It's forcing residents from cars onto public transportation, so they don't use them to drive around the district. It will probably also force other drivers to avoid entering Marina unless they really need to.

No distance is "walkable" in this weather if you want to maintain any dignity upon arrival to your destination.


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

I think we get "it's better than doing nothing". The point is Dubai only has a finite amount of money to spend on these types of projects. The money spent this tram will not deliver anywhere near value for money. 

If some sensible thought had been given to this in 06-08 then a tram connecting major low income population centres such as Satwa, Karama, International City etc with employment areas and the metro could have been built instead. We all know that the biggest users of public transport in Dubai are (unsurprisingly) those without access to cars and who don't have the money for taxis. 

Spend the money helping improve those people's transport needs not the "needs" of a few tourists who would be happy to take a taxi or hop on an open top bus tour. 

Yet another wasted opportunity for Dubai which would have been avoided if some sensible thought had been applied before signing the cheques....


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

mikaelus said:


> Talking about costs and prices in UAE sounds a bit out of place to be honest. If it's better it deserves investment - and it is. As I said - you have to start somewhere. Adding traffic in form of buses doesn't make Marina any nicer to people living here. The point of the tram is to push cars out of the Marina and leave more space for a quick, electric, means of transportation which will not be bogged down by jams.
> 
> It's forcing residents from cars onto public transportation, so they don't use them to drive around the district. It will probably also force other drivers to avoid entering Marina unless they really need to.
> 
> No distance is "walkable" in this weather if you want to maintain any dignity upon arrival to your destination.


I think this argument seems to be going in circles. I am confident that you'll be using the tram and I'm sure a small population/residents of Marina might also use it but as others are saying, it'll be novelty/tourist attraction for the most part.

Ever been to the tram station on the palm? it's deserted! The trams going back and forth and mostly empty! great for the environment? because they are electric? I think not! Now I'm sure the Marina tram will probably get more use out of it than the Palm but it certainly would have done better in a district where it would be used more effectively.

I live in the Marina and I hardly EVER drive to get somewhere within the Marina - except for waitrose and I will continue to go there in my car instead of the tram because of convenience. I have yet to meet any of my friends who live in the Marina saying that they'll be using the tram once it's up and running. Now if it had a few stations in Media City, I would have loved to take it to go to work.

I am not sure if 6 years of traffic congestion caused by the road work and the amount of money going into this project was at all worth having a system which will hardly get used and IMHO will not do anything to reduce traffic in this area.


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## Edino (Sep 22, 2013)

I have been successfully avoiding the Marina for many years... with a few exceptions. I obviously do not live in Marina, but from an outsiders point of view, these few exceptions where where not a good experience: extensive searching to find the place where we had to be, dealing with a lack of adequate signage, confusing road constructions that seem to go on for ever, and than the lack of parking places. It maybe a nice great concept on paper, and for many satisfying to live, but to me it feels Marina is without planning and lacking standard. I think the tram will suffer the same faith; it is just unbelievable stupid that DIC is excluded from the tram route....


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

I guess the tram will reduce the number of thoughtless pedestrians getting in the way of my car! 
So not a complete waste of money then.


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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

I ride my bike on the Marina nearly every morning and most of the sections they are tearing up were fine, waste of money.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

I would use the tram to see where it goes and if it is of any use to me


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

londonmandan said:


> I would use the tram to see where it goes and if it is of any use to me


You don't need to use it - you can see the route on here http://gulfnews.com/multimedia/graphics/dubai-tram-route-map-1.1282908


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

I would use the tram if there were more stations in the Marina but there's only place in the Marina that I like to visit that I wouldn't walk to, the original Marina Walk (I live at the other end of the Marina closest to Abu Dhabi). 

The nearest tram stop to me is the JLT metro station so there's little to be gained from taking the tram except saving a walk across SZR.

If it went all the way down to the Madinat, that would also be useful as I hate trying to park there, but it turns off into Al Sufouh well before that junction.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

What a bizarre route.

I'm surprised they didn't extend it as far as Madinat and then down Umm Suqeim to MoE.

Looks like it's the tourists staying in the expensive resort hotels and some low income workers transferring from the metro to the resort hotels who'll benefit the most. 

On the bright side, it's a handy way to get from the Marina to Barasti. Shall we be seeing vomit on the tram soon?

So far it looks like the expensive resort hotels


BedouGirl said:


> You don't need to use it - you can see the route on here Dubai Tram route map | GulfNews.com


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

I wouldn't mind being able to park somewhere and take the tram to the JBR beach/walk (if that still exists - I havent been there in a year), but doesn't look like there is anywhere I can do that along the route.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

I would probaby use it to go from JLT Metro (closest to me) to get to JBR as I don't like that walk all the way down Al Gharbi Street or vice versa


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

rsinner said:


> I wouldn't mind being able to park somewhere and take the tram to the JBR beach/walk (if that still exists - I havent been there in a year), but doesn't look like there is anywhere I can do that along the route.


You can park in Marina Mall and do exactly that. Or park in Marina Mall and just walk, it'll take you 10 minutes.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Gavtek said:


> You can park in Marina Mall and do exactly that. Or park in Marina Mall and just walk, it'll take you 10 minutes.


I wonder if this will push Emaar to introduce parking cost to Marina mall. They have all the gates and machines setup but not operational yet. If they see a surge of people parking there and taking the tram, they might do what they do in MoE.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

To answer the OP, I think its a running track they are installing....


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## ash_ak (Jan 22, 2011)

Bigjimbo said:


> To answer the OP, I think its a running track they are installing....


That would be awesome if they are installing a running track.


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## SgtRoswell (Apr 7, 2014)

Bigjimbo said:


> To answer the OP, I think its a running track they are installing....


I have been told by the waitress from one of the restaurant there that Emaar is renovating the whole area. (Not sure what is to renovating there). Not sure if thats true, didn't come to a news about this or something.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Guy in my office reckons they're laying down "vents" and "cables" which will allow them to have wifi all round the Marina with the wireless signal coming from under the pavement.


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