Delegation from Brazil visits RTA

Giving them an overview of the Rail Agency projects was Mr. Abdulmajid Al Khaja, CEO of the Rail Agency.

Mr.Al Khaja 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 to be completed in one phase. The state of the art infrastructural facilities of the metro can be benchmarked 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 an addition of two lines, the Purple and the Blue 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.

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.

Mr Al Khaja added, "Dubai's economy depends on Trade, Investments and Tourism. The availability of an efficient and smooth integrated transport system will ease and promote trade and tourism. The Metro project is very challenging but thanks to our contractor DURL who have executed a never-ending commitment all the way."

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.

Speaking on Health, Quality, Safety and Environment (HQSE), the section Mr. Al Khaja added 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.

The delegation was also briefed on the RTA structure and functions at which Dr. Mario Garnero said that Brazil is obliged to have a well established transport authority and RTA is an ideal benchmark.

This would definitely help the country should Brazil win the bid to host the 2016 Olympics.'

An in-depth briefing of the future lines and the tram network in Dubai was also given.

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 then proceeded to the Customer Service Center of the RTA where they were welcomed by Mrs. Laila Harib, Director of Customer Services and briefed on the customer services of the authority.

Mrs. Laila Harib asserted that customer service and satisfaction is an integral and vital part of any successful public service entity. "Every resident in the UAE is directly or indirectly a customer of the RTA and we spare no efforts to solve any grievance of our clients", she concluded.