Our city, our Metro

The Dubai Metro is the first project of its kind in the region. So what exactly is it that makes up the Metro?

It seems a very long time ago that the first tenders for the Dubai Metro were issued . However, even as far back as July 2004, when six contenders were shortlisted for the contract, the RTA insisted that the project would be ready in 2009. And of course, on September 9, the Dubai Rail Link (Durl) consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and Yapi Merkezi delivered on that promise.

Dubai Metro is the Gulf’s first metro project. The Red Line, stretching 52.1km from Jebel Ali Free Zone in the south of the emirate, to Rashidiya in the north, will be joined next year by the Green Line. This will bring the total amount of track up to 74.6km, making the Dubai Metro the longest automated metro network service in the world.

Ten stations on the Red Line opened on the Metro’s first day of operation, and by February 2010 the remaining 19 stations are expected to be open as well. Supporting the Metro is a network of feeder buses and the next few years may also see an additional two lines added to the present two.

The first stations to open to the public were Rashidiya, Airport Terminal 3, Deira City Center, Al Rigga, Union, Khalid bin Al Waleed, Al Jafiliya, DIFC, Mall of the Emirates and Nakheel Harbour and Tower.

Dubai Metro has a variety of station types: at-grade, elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3, underground stations and underground transfer stations. Type 1 are regular at-grade concourse stations, Type 2 are regular elevated concourse stations, and Type 3 are elevated special track stations with an extra track to hold a non operational train.

The cost of the first urban rail system on the Arabian Peninsula has soared 80% to US $7.6 billion (AED28 billion) from its original budget of $4.2 billion.

Among the reasons for the jump in costs were two extensions of the Green Line, which included five stations and a depot, two stations on the Red Line and a reworked design of all stations and their footbridges.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM