The picture you see of a kitschy camel and a scaled-down streetcar represent stereotypes.
The streetcar is what I think most Americans picture when they think of light rail: a 1930s-styled steel behemoth that trundles along. The camel is a stand-in for what I hear too many Americans say about Middle Eastern or Arab nations.
Like the toys in the picture, these stereotypes belong on the shelf.
In their place I submit to you a light rail system in Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates at 2 million people and growing. The French company, Alstom, built a Citadis light rail system for Duabi that runs on third-rail track power, but only places power exactly where the train is. Oh, and there's no catenary, at all, over the approximately 6-mile system.
The system's cars host lots of glass, comfortable seats, and air conditioning. The trainsets and track, meanwhile, must withstand the high and low temperatures of the Arabian Desert; salty, moist air off of the Persian Gulf; dust storms; and pedestrian litter. Yes, pedestrians, because Dubai's system includes street running.
I tell you all this now, because Alstom invited railroad journalists from around the world to visit the system on March 17 (St. Patrick's Day), and I'll be there to cover the event.
This is an opportunity to break through stereotypes on multiple levels, but also to learn. With unlimited space to build highways and presumably inexpensive fuel, this oil-exporting Arab nation chose rail and rail transit -- something most American cities abandoned by, or shortly after, World War II. In 2015 alone, the United Arab Emirates is expected to spend upwards of $22 billion on rail projects, including light, commuter, and freight. The Gulf Cooperation Council countries (which are roughly in the Persian Gulf area) are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a cross-border rail network, from scratch. It is set to be running by 2017. There must be a reason for all this.
Be looking for future blog posts from me about this trip, video, photo galleries, and of course, a feature in the August issue of Trains to report what I learned. No guarantees, but I think you'll get a new perspective from this unexpected source.
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