Dubai Metro station renamed after branding deal fails

NEW NAME: Construction work continues on the Khalid Bin Waleed Station near to the BurJuman shopping mall. (ITP Images)

The Dubai Metro station near BurJuman Shopping Mall has been renamed after mall chiefs refused to buy naming rights for it, it was reported on Thursday.

Names of at least two stations on the Red Line of the metro have been changed just a couple of weeks before the launching of the operation, UAE daily Gulf News reported.

It quoted a senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) who said that the name of the BurJuman Station had been changed to Khalid Bin Waleed Station.

The Dubal Metro station located between Ibn Battuta Station and the Jebel Ali Industrial Station on Shaikh Zayed Road has also been renamed as Energy Station.

The station was earlier named after the Dubai Aluminum Company Ltd (DUBAL), the paper reported.

The official said that the name of BurJuman station had been dropped after the management of the centre refused to buy the naming rights of the station.

"The RTA persuaded the BurJuman Centre to buy the naming rights of the station but both the parties could not reach the deal which involved hefty amount," he told the paper.

Khalid Bin Waleed Station is one of the underground interchange stations where the Red and the Green Lines cross.

In March last year, the RTA offered 23 stations for corporate branding as part of its major public-private partnership initiative but only 10 have been awarded to companies.

So far Etisalat has paid the highest price of AED135 million for a station in Al Qusais on the Green Line for a period of 10 years.

Also read: Dubai Metro reminds of Tata Nano story

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READERS' COMMENTS

Mabruk Loiue!
Posted by Gazza, Dubai, UAE on Friday 11 September 2009 at 13:24 UAE time


I agree with Chris. Loiue has got it EXACTLY right and with spot-on humour. He's obviously been in the Gulf for a while and knows the great difference between the nonsense spouted by officials and the reality. Brilliant.

Loiue Tedesco's note
Posted by Chris J, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 10 September 2009 at 15:16 UAE time


Loiue said "The station will actually be called "Metro station next to backside Trade Centre, near Spinney's"... Next to Babu shop."

This would have to be the funniest and truest letter ever published by AB in its total history. It is also so very true. Well done Loiue.....have you ever thought about a career in comedy. Just great!!! Still chuckling!

Confusion May Follow, Routine Will Return
Posted by Loiue Tedesco, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 10 September 2009 at 11:25 UAE time


The station will actually be called "Metro station next to backside Trade Centre, near Spinney's"... Next to Babu shop.

Confusion to follow...
Posted by BR on Thursday 10 September 2009 at 04:07 UAE time


Imagine the tourists at a station information counter in a couple of years...
Tourist: We're trying to get to Jebel Ali, I was told to change at Etisalat Station?
Infomation: No sir, it's no longer called that.
Tourist: Well we were told it might be called Du Station?
Information: No sir, they also refused to pay further naming rights.
Tourist: I had also heard it might now be called Spinney's Station?
Information: No sir, they went out of business paying for the naming rights, so we removed thier name also.
Tourist: So what is it called now?
Information: It's now called the 'Metro Station Number 5' sir, as there's no-one left who can afford to name it!

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