An artist's impression of the train station at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. DWC

Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will have an advanced underground train system designed to minimize walking distances and enhance the passenger experience at what will become the world’s largest airport. The announcement was made by Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths during a session at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on Wednesday (April 30), where he highlighted that the system will reduce travel time across the massive Dh128-billion site. “The underground system will be very comprehensive and pretty quick to reduce travel distance,” Griffiths said. “It is such a large site that it would be about a 20-minute journey time and we have to make it fast, efficient and competitive in terms of circulation of transfer passengers.” Griffiths added that the train will be designed for seated passengers due to the estimated 15- to 20-minute transit time between terminals. He said DWC will operate like eight smaller airports combined into one hub, providing both scale and intimacy. “If you're sitting in the lounge with a bubble glass canopy over the top, you can see your aeroplane,” Griffiths described. “We could actually project on the glass which aircraft is going where so you know that that's your plane to New York and you've a couple of hundred meters maximum to get there.” AI-driven logistics will further streamline airport operations to ensure a seamless passenger journey. On Tuesday, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Emirates Airline, announced that contract awards for DWC have begun. Dubai plans to fully shift operations from the current Dubai International Airport (DXB) to DWC within the next 10 years. Griffiths said the airport’s expansion is aligned with urban development goals, stating: “We’re right up against Sharjah in the north, so it will spread the city out and actually make it perhaps a little easier than the traffic problems that we’ve got today.” ICA/Expat Media
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