---
title: SYSTRA leads the way in tramway development in the Middle East
url: "https://www.systra.com/en/news/systra-leads-the-way-in-tramway-development-in-the-middle-east/"
type: post
date_published: 2022-08-18
date_modified: 2022-08-18
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language: en-US
word_count: 758
reading_time: 4 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/en/news/systra-leads-the-way-in-tramway-development-in-the-middle-east/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/passions-scaled.jpg"
categories:
  - Non classé
---

# SYSTRA leads the way in tramway development in the Middle East

![SYSTRA leads the way in tramway development in the Middle East](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/passions-scaled.jpg)

2022 could not have started better for tramways: on 1 January, Qatar inaugurated
the initial phase of its first tramway network, which serves the new city of
Lusail built on the outskirts of the capital. This first line, of a network that
will eventually include four, is one of the key elements of the Qatari
authorities’ plan to provide services to the Football World Cup stadiums,
interconnected with the Doha Metro. But, as emblematic as it is, Qatar is only
one step in the beautiful history of tramways in the Middle East.

![](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/lusail-2-1-1024x737.jpg)

_The Lusail tramway_

### One tramway can hide others

The first chapter was written just 650km away, in the United Arab Emirates.
Since 11 November 2014, the Dubai Marina and the residential district of
Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) have been served by the
[first tramway built in the region](https://www.systra.com/en/projects/dubai-tram-united-arab-emirates/)
, in the heart of Dubai. SYSTRA was the project management assistant from 2006
to 2022, in partnership with Aecom from 2017 to 2018, carrying out all the
design studies for its three development phases. Only the first envisaged
section is currently built and in service, with an unprecedented sum of
technologies gathered for such a mode of transport.

![](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/rea_dubai_tram-1-1024x683.jpg)

_The Dubai tramway_

The tramway is characterised by an entirely ground-level power supply without
catenary, air-conditioned stations with platform screen doors, and an automatic
train protection and control system. It is the first streetcar equipped with a
system derived from CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) automatic metro
technologies, with human action permanently controlled by ATP (Automated Train
Protection) in order to ensure total reliability and safety of operation. Thus,
at 200 metres from the stations, the trains assist the driver by aligning
themselves exactly in front of the platform screen doors. Thanks to these
technologies, the line has gained 4km/h of commercial speed compared to a
conventional line, a considerable advantage for regularity.

### When Saudi Arabia designs a sustainable tourist tramway

The latest country to opt for tramways is Saudi Arabia, which is preparing for
the post-hydrocarbon era by multiplying its investments under the Vision 2030
plan, including a new city with Neom, and the exploitation of its historical and
archaeological heritage in the Hedjaz at AlUla. To serve the archaeological and
cultural sites as well as the future agricultural and residential development
zone designed to boost activity there, the studies for a tram-train like no
other were awarded this summer to SYSTRA by the Royal Commission For AlUla
(RCU).

![alula-1-1](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/alula-1-1.jpg)

_The AlUla tramway_

The first phase of the programme includes the creation of a 21-km line linking
the historic AlUla Hijaz station to Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the
north, with 15 stations, thanks to a tramway platform without catenary,
battery-powered trains that can be recharged by induction, and above all thanks
to a unique landscape and architectural design that will enable passengers to
travel through time and across eras. Passengers will be able to explore the
history of the Kingdom’s civilisations from the tramway, combining culture and
mobility with the lowest possible carbon impact, with a maximum speed limit of
50km/h.

SYSTRA is responsible for all the preliminary and detailed studies, including
infrastructure, depot, stations, track, bridges, systems integration and rolling
stock design, right up to the preparation and awarding of tenders for
procurement and construction. Our teams will be contributing to other projects
underway in the area, such as the Al Sharaan hotel by prestigious architect Jean
Nouvel, which is due to open in 2023.

### What’s next?

Light rail systems are only just beginning to take off in the Middle East. With
more than a dozen cities with more than one million inhabitants and a population
growth rate of over 2%, cities are increasingly faced with the challenge of
implementing efficient, sustainable collective mobility solutions that can
ensure a concrete modal shift.

In Dubai, our client RTA is still planning to extend the Al Sufouh tramway. In
Qatar, our Lead Design assignment, carried out for more than 10 years with the
Franco-Qatari consortium QDVC (Qatar Diar Vinci Construction grands projects),
has come to an end, but a large part of the Lusail network remains to be
commissioned. And in Saudi Arabia, other major cities could be inspired by AlUla
to also equip themselves with a tramway, which in the Middle east seems to be
the way forward.

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