The Palm Monorail is a 5.45 km driverless transit line on Dubai’s famous Palm Jumeirah island, offering a scenic ride across this man-made archipelago. It opened on 30 April 2009, becoming the Middle East’s first public monorail system. Operated by Serco for developer Nakheel, the monorail Dubai was built to connect the mainland city to the upscale Palm residences and resorts, while showcasing Dubai’s futuristic infrastructure. The construction began in 2006 with an original budget of roughly US$400 million.
History and Development
The Palm Jumeirah monorail is a unique monorail train on Palm Jumeirah. It resembles a palm tree on water. Construction began in March 2006 and was completed in July 2008. People started using it in April 2009, following tests conducted in 2008. Initially, they wanted to incorporate it into Dubai’s bigger train network, but that did not materialize. They had also considered connecting it via a 2-km track to Dubai Internet City, which would have cost about $190 million, but this has not been done yet.
The company decided to add more stops as the number of people who wanted to use it increased. The Al Ittihad Park station opened near Trump Plaza on July 3, 2017. In 2019, a new station, Palm Jumeirah Mall, was built to replace Nakheel Mall station. It is one of the greatest possibilities as it helps people to visit the mall and The Palm Tower without high mobility.
Despite its capacity to carry many people, the Dubai monorail is not a true mass product. The train can only carry up to three hundred people at a time. About 2,000 people use it daily, making getting to Palm Jumeirah worry-free.
Route and Stations
Palm Gateway Station
This is the first stop. It is at the start of Palm Jumeirah, close to Dubai’s mainland. There are over 1,600 parking spaces here, so people can park their cars and then ride the train. You can also change to the Dubai Tram from here. From this station, the train goes north into the Palm.
Al Ittihad Park Station
This is the second stop. It was opened in 2017. The station is near Al Ittihad Park, which is a great green park, and the Golden Mile Galleria, which is a mall. The station lets people go to the park’s running track and Palm West Beach.
A monorail Palm Jumeirah train goes to Al Ittihad Park station on Palm Jumeirah. It is in the “Golden Mile area, which is saturated with people
- Palm Jumeirah Mall Station: This is at the third stop. It started in November 2019. It connects to the Palm Jumeirah Mall, which has many shops and things that are fun. Station is a good way to get to The Palm Tower and the hotels on its east side, like St. Regis, as well as Club Vista Mare. People with kids can watch a movie, go shopping, and eat here.
- Atlantis Aquaventure Station: This is the fourth and last stop at the end of the Palm. It is near Atlantis, The Palm hotel, and the Aquaventure Waterpark. You can also visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium, Dolphin Bay, and get on many slides.
All the stations are new and air-conditioned. All of them have the features of safe platform screen doors. The drive from Palm Gateway to Atlantis takes you 15 minutes, and another train will come every 15 minutes all day. It runs are from the same time every day.
Schedule & Timings
First train starts at 09:00 AM, and the last train arrives at 10:00 PM. The 1st train leaves at 9:00 from Gateway and at 9:15 from Atlantis. The final train from Atlantis to Gateway departs at 10:00 PM, while the last train from Gateway to Atlantis is at 9:45 PM. The train runs every 15 minutes.
The schedule remains the same throughout the year, but sometimes trains are delayed by breakdowns. Before going, also check their website or call the office to confirm whether the vehicles are still running.
Tickets and Pricing
Riding the Monorail will require a ticket, which is not free. You can buy tickets online or at ticket machines and station desks. The 2025 one-way fare begins from 5 AED, and the round-trip fare commences at 10 AED. These are the standard prices, but they can vary by day or with special offers. Sometimes, kids under 12 can ride for free or at a discount at certain times. Ktreaters can buy special tickets that include visits to the mall or the view deck.
A valid ticket is required to enter the gate and board the monorail. Parking is simple because you get 3 hours of free parking at the station lot when you take the monorail. If you park for more than 3 hours, it costs 10 AED for each extra hour.
The monorail has its own ticketing system and is not connected to Dubai’s primary transit system, so you always have to pay the fare to ride. You can reply that it costs 5 AED per trip if someone asks, “What is the Palm Monorail price?”
Getting There and Nearby Attractions
Tram and Metro
The nearest Metro station is located in Dubai Internet City. To reach Palm, you can either take a taxi or a bus from the station, or switch to the tram, which gets to Palm Gateway. The Metro train has always been one of the main ways people get to a particular tram station, such as Mall of the Emirates, and then take the tram to Palm Gateway. Dubai Monorail operations on The Palm are responsible for ferrying you to various points of interest on The Palm.
Burj Khalifa and City
If you are on The Palm and want to view the Burj Khalifa, ride the Metro’s Red Line. The first thing to do is to get on the walkway at Palm Gateway, the closest Metro station. Dubai Internet City Metro is the station where Palm Gateway is located so you have to take a cab. You can catch the Red Line train on your way to Burj Khalifa.
Global Village (Dubai)
It’s a temporary theme park that is a thing to do between November and April. It is located right at the very edge of Dubai, where the train line does not go, so you will need to transfer to get there.
You may take a bus from Metro stations like Rashidiya and Mall of the Emirates if you want to head that way. The bus schedule generally starts in the afternoon and extends into the evening. One can board a Metro or a tram, stop at a bus stop, and then take a bus to Global Village.
Palm Attractions
Nakheel Mall, The St. Regis Hotel, and Al Ittihad Park are some places you can reach via the monorail. It even has a set of bus lines that take you to different stops at the Palm Centro area, which has shopping areas, beach sites, and, finally, the Palm Atlantis hotel with its famous waterpark and aquarium.
To summarize, despite being a short line, the Palm Monorail has excellent links to other transport on Dubai’s network. You can use the metro and tram to get from one place to another in the city, like Burj Khalifa. A quick look at the Dubai Metro map can help understand the system.
Suspensions and Maintenance
Unfortunately, the mono rail is usually out of service from the end of 2024 to 2025 for repairs. The website’s official message states, “Palm rail is not running now due to station repair.” Some say there are works underway at the Palm Jumeirah Mall station and other stops. We don’t know the exact day it will be operational again. Get the latest information from the website before taking your journey, and if necessary, contact the personnel.
A plan for a new parliamentary space, initially the Pointe, was made in early 2023, but it was later decided to close it in JULY 2023 for renovations. At this point, the train has only four stops, all in service now.
No trains are running, but the train stations and the train cars are still there. In the past, you could see the trains online, and then you could park at Palm Gateway or start your trip when the trains were running later.
Palm Monorail Tickets
Several customers love to pay for their trip in advance through the official website. More often than not, travelers can also buy them from ticket counters and machines at every station.
Typically, a ticket is valid for the next 6 months, though one should double-check. Prices may vary depending on busy or quiet evenings.
Ticket Prices (2025)
- Single trip (one-way) – AED 5 and up, depending on the time of day, and select stations.
- Round trip (return) – AED 10 and up, depending on the time of day and chosen stations.
In addition to depositing a children’s gondola ticket, other tickets can be found besides children’s tickets, like a hard combo with monorail and a sightseeing deck ticket. The new E-ticket system is very effective. You just upload the ticket from your phone, and the gates open and let you in. It is possible to park for free for 3 hours if you show your ticket.
Summary
One of the most popular attractions in the world, the Palm Monorail, is a magnificent ride on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. It crisscrosses the Nakheel Mall, Atlantis, and hotels. The trip is the perfect combination of a great visit and a mode of transportation. However, the ride is currently shut down for repairs. But for those days when it is still functioning, you can get there by tram or taxi and buy a cheap ticket. One of the few extraordinary activities to do in Dubai, even if you do not go to Dubai for any other reason, is worth the thrill.
