The Dubai Metro project is on schedule and has not been affected by the global economic meltdown, said a senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA.) “We are right on track as there is no reason for us to delay the Dubai Metro project,” said Abdul Majid Al Khaja, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rail Agency at the RTA, quashing rumours about delays.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Al Khaja spoke at length about the Dubai Metro project and confirmed that operations would start on the Metro’s Red Line next September 9, as announced as part of the first phase of the project. Operations on the Green Line are scheduled to start in March 2010 — some six months after the trains start running on the Red Line. “We have been able to achieve all our milestones so far and are determined to launch the project on time,” he said.
Successful trial
Al Khaja said the trial run for the full length of the 52.1 km Red Line from the Jebel Ali Industrial Area to Rashidiya will start at the end of January. “We have been doing a successful trial of trains on an 11km track from Jebel Ali to Ibn Battuta Mall. Now people will see trains running the full length of the Red Line until the service is opened to the public in September this year,” Al Khaja added.
He said the entire route of the Red Line from Jebel Ali to Rashidiya was ready. The tracks will be completed this month. Some 60 per cent of work on the Green Line and about 83 per cent of work on the Red Line was completed by the end of last month. Giving details about the upcoming milestones, Al Khaja said that at the end of January, signalling will be ready, which indicates that the trains will be tested driverless. Earlier, trains were tested with drivers. By May, all stations on the Red Line will be ready. “We are already geared up to complete work on the stations on schedule. All the footbridges on the Red Line stations will also be completed by the end of May,” he said.
“The pace of work for construction of the Dubai Metro is so high that it has no precedent and it would be difficult even in the future to do such a massive project in such a short time,” Al Khaja said. Work on the Dubai Metro — the world’s largest automated driverless metro system, is into its 41st month out of a total 49 months for completion. The total length of the project is 74.6 km, comprising the 52.1 km Red Line and the 22.5km Green Line.
“We spend around Dh500 to Dh800 million every month — which means that our daily spending is equal to building seven to eight average sized villas,” Al Khaja added. “What we are doing to build the Metro is beyond what anybody has done in the past in this industry and it will be extremely difficult for others to do the same,” he said.
Budget
The cost of the Dubai Metro project has increased due to its extension by at least 4.9 km on the Green Line, said a senior official. The approved budget of Dh15.5 billion was based on the original scope of the Dubai Metro, which has since seen some changes.
The Green Line was extended by at least 4.9 km. It was supposed to end at Healthcare City but it was extended to Al Jaddaf, and on the other hand it was extended from Terminal 2 to Al Qusais near Emirates Road. Also, parking plazas were added near Al Qusais, Rashidiya and Jebel Ali. Al Khaja said that they would be able to calculate the additional cost on completion of the project. “Despite additional work, the project will be completed on schedule,” he added.
published in GulfNews
