Al Qusais Park-and-Ride facility 75 per cent complete

Construction work on Dubai Metro's Green Line is progressing apace, with most stations already fully built and completion of their interior finishing work ranging from 10 to 100 per cent, according to the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the RTA's Board and its Executive Director, announced this while on an inspection tour of the Green Line.

He said Al Qusais Park-and-Ride facility was 75 per cent complete and confirmed that the project was progressing on schedule towards its planned opening in August 2011.

Al Tayer also visited the Metro Depot at Al Qusais, the Rail Operation Control Centre, and the multi-story car park, as well as etisalat, Al Ittihad, Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba stations. Several RTA, rail, and administrative officials accompanied him on the tour.

Al Tayer said the Rail Systems Operations Control Centre at Al Qusais has reached 99 per cent completion in its metal structures and external cladding work, and the interior finishing work has topped 56 per cent. The Centre will be used to control daily metro operations on both the Red and Green Lines. It also enables supervision of safety features such as fire-fighting systems and ventilation systems in tunnels, stations and trains, as well as the safety of doors, brakes and engines of each train. It will act as a point of communication with commuters in the event of any emergency through the communication systems linking the carriages and its control room. Al Tayer reviewed the progress in the multi-level Park-and-Ride facility where the completion rate in the parking lot, surrounding roads, bus station and footbridges is nearing 75 per cent. The building has the capacity to house 2,350 vehicles.

At the etisalat Station, the starting point of the Green Line, all concrete works, metal structures and platform doors of the station have been completed, whereas the completion rate in the external cladding work of the roof has reached 63 per cent, he said.

Al Tayer then inspected Al Ittihad Station, a transfer station where the Green and Red Lines meet. The station is claimed to be the world's biggest metro station spanning an area of 25,000 square meters and has the capacity to handle 22,000 passengers per hour. It consists of two levels, extends 230 metres in length and 50 metres in width, and 18 metres in depth. In a briefing about the progress of work at the station, it was revealed that the contractor has completed concrete works and metal structures of the platform screen doors, as well as interior finishing works, and is currently finalising electrical and mechanical works.

Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba Stations have all construction and civil works complete, as well as the metal structure work on their platforms. The completion rate of the interior finishing work is more than 10 per cent. The two stations feature heritage designs depicting the history and legacy of the UAE. The theme of the designs revolve around employing traditional architectural elements used in antique buildings, such that the heritage-inspired stations would match the traditional souks.