5.24 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

Airports express line design ready

Published
By Sona Nambiar

If the Red Line of Dubai Metro extends to join the Abu Dhabi Metro, it will not be a single line, said a senior Rail Agency RTA official yesterday.

"Since we are near the Abu Dhabi border and if we did the extension of the Red Line, due to the postponement of the Purple Line, we will be more than open to integrate with them," said Abdul Redha Abu Al Hassan, Director of Planning and Development at the Rail Agency, RTA.

"But it won't be a one single line going across. Passengers will have to change stations or terminals."

He spoke to Emirates Business on the sidelines of the "Dubai Mega Projects 2009" event organised by Meed.

In the original Strategic Plan, the Purple Line was supposed to finish in 2015, however, though the design has been finalised, the tendering has been deferred, he said.

"We were asked to make the express line for the two airports and the deadline was 2011 to 2012. Of course, the design is ready to go for tender," said Al Hassan. "We have to study the situation of the market before releasing the tender. Most of the developers on this route will delay or stop their projects and this line was meant to serve those developments. If the planning changes for those developments, the route will change. So it is wise to postpone this project for some time until we see the market is ready again. We will then analyse its real needs and then tender the project. It might need some redesign in some areas with regards to the routes."

The redesign will depend on the needs of the airports and the final routes of the built projects.

The income from the operations will cover only the operational costs of the project, he added.

"The project is being constructed to solve the problem of congestion on the roads. Every year, Dubai is losing about Dhs 4.5 billion due to the congestion on roads," said Hassan.