Al Maktoum International Airport to have underground train system
An elaborate underground train system is set to be built at the new Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.
Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central, is set to be the world's largest capacity airport once built.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, revealed the latest plans for what will eventually be Dubai's main airport at a fireside chat during the Arabian Travel Market at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Underground trains will be introduced to make getting around more convenient and quicker for the estimated 260 million annual passengers at the massive new airport.
Unlike the existing train service at Dubai International Airport, journeys to and from your destination at the revamped Al Maktoum International Airport are set to take between 15 and 20 minutes due to the sheer scale of the site.
And because journeys will be longer than typical shuttle services at airports, plans currently state that there will be seating on board carriages so that passengers aren't standing for long periods of time between stops.
The interior of the planned new look for Al Maktoum International Airport (Credit: Dubai Media Office)
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said that the train system will need to be fast and efficient to cut down on journey times.
He said: 'The underground system that we're going to have to put for the new airport is going to be very comprehensive.
'We're going to have to make it pretty quick to minimise the travel distances, because if you look at it, it's such a large site that actually the same sort of distance by rail will be similar to going from, say, King's Cross to Paddington in London, which is a 20 minute journey time.
'We have to make it fast, efficient and competitive in terms of circulation of transfer passengers to get to and from the airport.'
Current plans state that the site will have eight smaller airports to cut down on the process of checking in, dropping off luggage and going through security.
Artificial Intelligence will be used to programme the most convenient logistics of operations, with the idea being that the train will get you around the airport and you'll get off at your relevant station, which will then be a short walk to the aircraft.
Dubai news: New images from the architects behind Al Maktoum International Airport show what we can expect when it is built (Credit: Coop Himmelb(l)au)
Plans also include visual reference points, allowing passengers to know the distance they need to travel to reach their flight.
Al Maktoum International Airport is still a number of years away however, as phase one of the Dhs128 billion project is not set to be complete for another decade.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and founder of the Emirates Group and chairman of Dubai World, has previously said that the first phase of the project will be ready within 10 years and will accommodate 150 million passengers annually.
In addition to the underground train, there will be more than 400 aircraft gates, five parallel runways with the highest operational specifications, and a total of five passenger terminal buildings. The airport will span 70 square kilometres once fully complete.
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