Al Tayer inspects work progress of Dubai Metro

Al Tayer also inspected the work progress in constructing the viaduct deck segments of Dubai Metro line.

During the visit, which lasted four hours, Al Tayer was accompanied by engineer Abdul Majeed Al Khaja CEO of Rail Agency, engineer Adnan Al Hamadi Director of Rail Construction Dep't, engineer Abdul Rida Abu Al Hassan Director of Rail Planning & Designing Dep't, engineer Ramadan Abdullah Director of Operations Dep't, engineer Ali Abdul Qadir Director of Maintenance Dep't together with a number of officials from the office of the consultant engineer & the contracting company of the project.

Al Tayer set off his tour from the Union Sq., where he inspected the work progress and attended a briefing from engineer Abdul Majeed Al Khaja on the project in which 505 engineers are engaged in the designing & constructing process in addition to 165 administrators, 4900 workers and 89 surveyors.

H.E. Al Tayer closely monitored the tunneling drive in the tunnel that links Union Sq. Station with Burjman Station. Then made a tour inside the tunnel and viewed the work completed so far by the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM); Al Wugeisha 1, which has crossed Al Maktoum Road and is now moving underneath the road extending between Dubai Municipality premises and Radisson SAS Hotel. It is poised to arrive at Burjman Station in September 2007.

"RTA is keen to provide the highest level of safety & security in Dubai Metro tunnels which extend around 14.7 km of which 4.7 km in the Red Line and 10 km in the Green Line", Al Tayer said. He further added, "RTA formed a large team of specialists to operate the work progress and monitor changes in the surrounding area & buildings in order to ensure safe tunneling drive. Monitoring equipment have been installed in the area and around the tunnel paths in order to ensure that no damage or disruption is caused to the surrounding buildings during the tunneling process. RTA & Dubai Rail Link have implemented extensive plans to enhance safety and ensure completing the whole tunneling works in accordance with the approved schedule. Precautionary measures and emergency plans have also been developed in conjunction with Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police and Health & Medical Services Dep't, Dubai".

Al Tayer was briefed on the mechanism of lining the metro with steel rings measuring 40 cm in thickness and 3.7meters in length, 1.5 meters in width with an internal diameter of 8.5 meters.

H.E. then inspected the work of Al Wugeisha 2, which on 26 March commenced the tunneling works from Union Sq. Station heading towards City Center Station via Al Riqqa Station. It commenced its initial drive, at Union Square by breaking through the wall shaft. Around 58 permanent rings of the tunnel at Union Square will be constructed to complete the initial drive.

The Chairman & CEO of RTA announced that a third TBM, Al Wugeisha 3, will arrive in Dubai in September 2007 to commence tunneling works in Al Ras Station heading towards Burjman Station via Al Ghubaiba Station.

Al Tayer completed his site tour by inspecting the work progress in constructing Dubai Metro viaduct deck segments on Sheikh Zayed Rd, which is being installed by a giant launching gantry considered the biggest in the UAE, as it is capable of handling weights up to 400 tons. The launching gantry lifts the viaduct deck segments and assembles them in viaduct spans, which are supported on readymade concrete piers.

The launching gantry extends 109 meters in length and 13 meters in width and has been subjected to rigorous safety & quality tests by an independent specialized company, including tests of maximum loading capacity, and key manufacturing components.

Al Tayer was also briefed by engineer Abdul Majeed Al Khaja about the construction of Dubai Metro viaduct deck segments along with the mechanism of the launching gantry, which is considered one of the best solutions applied in constructing elevated rail lines. Moreover, it is known for high speed in constructing viaducts that extend over long distances.

The number of launching gantries that are fully operational reached seven now and they are deployed in seven sites near the proposed metro stations at Emirates, Jafiliya, Burj Al Arab, Al Barsha, Dubal, Jebel Ali Industrial and Jumeirah Islands.

The launching gantries provide a fast-track installation process which enables the installation of a complete viaduct span in roughly two days. Concrete segments are transported, on demand, from Jebel Ali Casting Yard to the launching gantry sites using heavy haulage trucks. The launching gantries comprise two steel box girders connected together by steel frames and are over 100m long. They are equipped with their own lifting winch, power and control equipment to enable lifting and moving of the heavy concrete segments accurately into position.

There will be around 12000 pre-cast concrete viaduct deck segments used for the Red Line, each weighing in excess of 50 tonnes. The viaduct deck segments typically measure 10 metres wide by 4 metres long and are 3m high. The lengths of the spans vary from 24 to 72 metres where the minimum number of segments per span is 8 and the maximum is 18.

To date the number of spans installed has reached a total of 64 spans with new spans being installed at an average rate of 2 spans per week per launching gantry. The launching gantry concrete segment installation process is a construction method used widely around the globe. It will be performed in accordance with internationally recognized standards in compliance with pre-planned and approved detailed work methodologies. Major works will be executed outside busy rush hours.

At the conclusion of the tour, H.E. Mattar Al Tayer expressed his pleasure for the work progress in Dubai Metro Project and hailed the efforts put by all staff, who are working tirelessly & sincerely to complete the project. He called upon the constructing company to do more in order to ensure that the project is delivered on the prescribed date. He added that Dubai Metro Project will be an outstanding milestone that adds to the series of the integrated projects currently witnessed by Dubai in all spheres.