The Palm monorail, check before you travel.

What the operator says

On 31 October 2026 the home page of palmmonorail.com carried a banner headed “Service Update”. It says the monorail service is temporarily suspended until further notice. We found no date on the notice and no date for a return.

The operator’s timetable page tells a different story. It still lists a first train at 9:00 from Gateway and 9:15 from Atlantis, a last train at 21:45 from Gateway and 22:00 from Atlantis, the same every day, with a departure every 15 minutes. Two pages of one site disagree. We trust the notice over the timetable. Check the operator’s site again on the day you travel, and do not build a group plan on the monorail until the notice is gone.

We are not the operator, and we cannot say if or when the service will return. If a date moves, we adjust a quote.

The line and its five stations

The operator describes a 5.5 km line that opened in 2009. It lists five stations, in this order from the entry of the Palm to the far end:

The operator’s FAQ gives its own public transport directions. By Metro, take the Red Line to Dubai Internet City or Al Khail station, then a taxi or the tram to Palm Gateway. By tram, get off at the Palm Jumeirah tram station and walk to Palm Gateway. Station names on Dubai maps have been changing, so check the current name on the RTA map. Our wayfinding changes guide explains what to look for.

The distances by road

These are modelled drive times from our routing model, built on OpenStreetMap data, with no traffic and no stops. They are not timetable promises. The Palm point is the Atlantis end of the island.

Add time for busy hours, weekends and public holidays.

What is not published

We found no rule for coaches on the Palm trunk road, and no published coach drop-off at Atlantis or at Palm Jumeirah Mall. The View at The Palm says taxis, private and public, have drop-offs at the mall and that there is parking there, but that text is for taxis and cars. We do not claim a stop for a larger vehicle. When you ask for a quote, tell us the venue and the time. Your written quote states the pick-up and drop-off arrangement, and we agree a point with you.

Planning the day without the train

The monorail is a shuttle between five stops. A group that cannot use it needs one vehicle that follows the stops in the order of the day. Decide first which stops matter: the mall, the observation deck, the resort at the far end, or all three.

An example sum, not a promise: a group staying in Dubai Marina visits the mall in the morning and Atlantis after lunch. Our model gives about 16 minutes from the Marina to the mall and about 10 minutes from the mall to Atlantis, so about 26 minutes of driving across the day. Add loading, a margin, and the time your group needs at each stop. Agree one return time in writing.

For airport arrivals that end on the Palm, see our Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah page. If your plan mixes rail and road elsewhere, our Metro and coach guide sets out which parts of a day suit each.

Choosing the vehicle

Count passengers first and bags second. Our guide figures:

• Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
• 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
• Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
• 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for larger parties. Hotel entrances can limit the size, so see our 30 or 50 seater guide.

How a booked vehicle fits

1. Send the plan. Date, hotel area, party size, the Palm stops you want and the time you want to be back.
2. Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
3. Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when a venue publishes one.
4. Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
5. Tell us if plans change. We adjust a quote if dates change, and cannot promise to beat traffic.

Related: Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah · Dubai Metro and a coach for groups · Dubai area signs, Makani and Metro station names · City tour by private minibus · Dubai with a stroller: vehicle and bags · Get a quote

Keep reading

• Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah: From DXB to Atlantis, the Palm’s crescent hotels and its villas: drive times, drop-off points and a vehicle sized to the bags, quoted per vehicle.
• Marina, JBR and Palm hotels to Gulfood 2027: Staying at Dubai Marina, JBR or Palm Jumeirah for Gulfood 2027: road times to the Trade Centre and to Expo City, the Metro, and the morning and evening run.
• Dubai Marina, JBR and Palm hotels to Meydan, World Cup 2027: Marina, JBR and Palm Jumeirah are the longest hotel-side runs to Meydan for the Dubai World Cup on Saturday 27 March 2027. A leave-early plan, the public options, and where a private vehicle fits.
• Chauffeur service Dubai: What a proper chauffeur service in Dubai looks like, from the brief before pick-up to the door at the end of the night.
• Shuttle service: A private shuttle for your hotel, residence, office or venue: a fixed loop, fixed times, a vehicle and driver dedicated to your group.
• Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates group day: A shopping day across Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates with a group: the public options, the one hours table we can source, drive times and how a driver fits.