The first batch of Metro trains has arrived, reasonably similar to the original artist’s impressions although a little less streamlined than the drawings.

There will be test runs conducted on a 4 kilometre section of the elevated track near Jebel Ali, checking all the management systems as well as the trains themselves.

There’s a main power station for the Metro, in Jebel Ali, and that’s reported to be completed. The Depot in Jebel Ali which will be large enough to accommodate 44 trains is said to be more than half completed. A train will consist of five carriages with a maximum load of 645 passengers.

The elevated section of track running alongside Sheikh Zayed Road is a bit of a mystery to me. It isn’t straight nor is it level, as it snakes around, over or under interchanges. In parts it looks almost like a fairground toller-coaster as it goes up and down and I wonder how fast the trains will be able to travel.

Stations on the elevated section are in various stages of completion. The RTA says they are being built in an oval shape with roofs design based on seashells, a reference to Dubai’s fishing and pearling heritage.

Here’s one of the stations near Dubai Marina last week: