Green Line on track for August opening

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed the construction works in most stations on the Green Line of Dubai Metro following the full completion of the 23km long track, said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman and Executive Director of RTA.

Completion rates in stations currently range from 55 to 100 per cent in the finishing works, 65 to 85 per cent in electromechanical works, and as high as 85 per cent in the park-and-ride facilities at Al Qusais.

Al Tayer reiterated that work in the project is moving ahead on schedule and is set for opening in August 2011.

Al Tayer made these statements during an inspection tour of the work progress in the Green Line that took him to the Dubai Healthcare City, Al Ittihad, Al Ghubaiba, Al Ras, Al Qiyada, and Etisalat stations in addition to the multi-storey car-parking building.

He was accompanied by the CEO of Rail Agency Adnan Al Hamadi, the Head of Follow-up Team of RTA Hosting UITP Congress 2011 in Dubai Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, and a number of directors and engineers supervising the project.

Al Tayer set off his tour by inspecting the Dubai Healthcare City station where construction works have reached an advanced stage as the internal finishing works have almost reached 55 per cent and electromechanical works are as high as 65 per cent.

He then inspected the work progress in Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba stations where construction and civil works have been fully completed and so are the metal structures and platform doors. Completion of the finishing works in the two stations ranges from 55 to 70 per cent, whereas the completion of electromechanical works ranges from 65 to 75 per cent.

Al Tayer also inspected the work progress in Al Ittihad Station; one of the stations in which the Red and Green lines intersect and is considered the world's biggest metro station spanning an area of 25,000 square metres with a capacity to handle about 22,000 passengers per hour.

The station, which consists of two levels, extends 230 metres in length, 50 metres in width, and 18 metres in depth. It houses commercial and service outlets for serving metro users, and has two entry points equipped with lifts and escalators.

Four tunnels branch out of the station bound to Khalid bin Al Waleed and Al Rigga stations on the Red Line, and Bani Yas and Salah Uddin stations on the Green Line.

Al Tayer attended a briefing about the work progress in the station, where the contractor has completed all concrete works, and metal structures of platform screen doors and the completion rate has reached 70 per cent in the internal finishing works, and 85 per cent in the electromechanical works.

Al Tayer went about his tour to visit Al Qiyadah Station along Al Ittihad Road near the Dubai Police General HQ; one of the elevated stations of the Green Line that has a capacity to handle 11,000 passengers per hour in each direction with dimensions measuring about 130m in length and 30m in width.

It has two ingress points fitted with escalators and lifts and the completion rate has reached 90 per cent in the construction works, 70 per cent in the finishing works and 75 per cent in the electromechanical works.

Al Tayer concluded his tour by visiting Etisalat Station; the starting point of the Green Line where the contractor has finalised all concrete works, metal structures of the station and the platform doors. Completion rate has reached 70 per cent in the finishing works, and 75 per cent in the electromechanical works.

He also inspected the multi-level park-and-ride facility where the completion rate in the parking lot, surrounding roads, bus station and footbridges is nearing 88 per cent.

Al Tayer toured the building that has a capacity to house 2,350 vehicles and meant to encourage the public to use the Metro in their mobility across the emirate. The building has been designed to provide ample space for feeder buses of the station, ensure smooth traffic flow and accommodate huge number of buses at a time. It is also fitted with footbridges linking up with the opposite side of the road to ensure easy and safe access to the metro station, while providing the standard safety measures for passenger movement in the building.

Al Tayer expressed his delight with the work progress in various locations of the project, however he called on the contracting company to commit more efforts to ensure the opening of all stations on time.

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