Media delegation from Taiwan visits RTA

An overview of the Dubai Metro project given by Basam Mohammed Mansour, Director of Engineering, Rail Agency to the delegation.

Engineer Abdul Majid Al Khaja, CEO of the Rail Agency said, "The Dubai Metro project is one of the first Metro projects in the world to be planned and executed within a short time frame. With various studies conducted since its inception, the Dubai Metro will be the longest driverless network in the world with state of the art infrastructural facilities benchmarking it to the Metro systems of Hong Kong, Singapore and London. The Metro is designed to cater to the vast and diverse culture of the UAE."

While throwing light on the facts of the Metro he said that the driverless Metro system will have additional lines added later on to the existing Red and Green Lines which are currently under construction and are scheduled to be completed in September 2009 and March 2010 respectively. Each train will have five cars; one Gold with a 'Women and Childrens' section' and four 'Silver Cars'. Equipped with facilities like Wi-fi, CCTV, and retail facilities at every station, commuting will be convenient and reliable. Every major strategic location in Dubai will have a Metro station thus making their tourists enjoy their stay.

He added the Metro stations will have a unique design uniting modernism and tradition. The stations are divided into two main categories Underground Stations and Elevated Stations. The total number of stations on both lines (red and green) is 47 Stations, with 10 Underground Stations positioned in the central area of Dubai, while the remaining 37 stations are elevated.

Their uniquely shell shaped roof, while modern, invokes the heritage of pearl diving; this ancient craft that requires skill and bravery brought early prosperity and is an integral part of Dubai's history. The interiors of the stations are uniquely designed in respect of their historical background and by adopting design theme based on one of the four elements of nature: water, air, fire and earth.

"International standards have been adopted to ensure that people with special needs are able to travel independently and with ease within the Dubai Metro stations. Public announcement and information is provided in both audio and visual. Direct route for tactile guidance paths are specially laid on the floor to guide vision impaired people to their destinations," Al Khaja said.

He stressed that currently the tunneling work has commenced with the first TBM machine -Al Wugeisha making progress towards Burjuman from Union Square while the second TBM is being assembled. TBM 2 will travel from Union Square to Al Rigga proceeding to City Centre. So far around 30% of the project is completed with activities on schedule and no major disaster recorded.

Speaking on Health, Quality, Safety and Environment (HQSE), he said, that while construction necessary precautions are taken to protect the environment and the HQSE closely monitors the effect of the activities on the environment on short and long term basis.

Estimating the population to reach 5 million within the next decade, the RTA has prepared a strategic plan integrating various modes of transport which include the buses, taxis, Abras and the Dubai Metro. The Dubai Metro will thus not only complement the other modes of transport but inevitably boost the economy of the Emirate.

The delegation was impressed with the Dubai Metro project and did speak of bilateral relations between Dubai and Taiwan.