The Palm Jumeirah’s has roped in Osaka Monorail Company (OMC), experts in monorail technology, to provide technical expertise for its Dh1.4 billion ($381.20 million) monorail transit system.

Under the current agreement, which was inked recently, OMC will provide technical support for the efficient operation of the monorail system with a focus on the operation and maintenance framework; planning and staff training; and test operation supervision.
“The monorail system currently being constructed on The Palm Jumeirah by Nakheel and the Marubeni Corporation is without doubt the number one system in the world. However, in order to ensure a world-class transit system, we still require the best maintenance operations and that is why world-leaders the Osaka Monorail Company have been chosen as technical support by Nakheel,” said Marwan Al Qamzi, Nakheel head of procurement and contracts.
“The agreement also demonstrates the excellent relations between Dubai and Osaka – the twinning agreement has significantly helped to boost trade between the two cities and I look forward to many more partnerships in the future,” he added.
The Palm Monorail is the first monorail project to be constructed in the Middle East. The 5.4 km long transport system will run between the Gateway Station at the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Station on the crescent, calling at two intermediate stations on the way at Trump International Hotel and Tower, and the Village Centre.
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.
The overall project is a collaboration between Nakheel and the Marubeni Corporation and features contributions from a consortium of Japanese companies. A UK company, Mott MacDonald, is functioning as the project manager.
The mechanical and electrical system and the monorail vehicles will be being engineered, manufactured and commissioned by Hitachi, Japan.
Hitachi's expertise and experience includes the delivery of high-speed train systems and monorail systems to Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.
Construction work, which began in March last year, is scheduled for completion in December 2008.
Bore piling and foundation works have been completed with the 28 m, 80-tonne concrete truck beams currently being laid at the site.
Hitachi started actual production of the monorail last month with building works to be complete by December.
System installation and testing will be carried out by Hitachi from January 2008 to the scheduled completion date of December 2008.