RTA completes 50% of tunnel drilling works in Route 2020

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, has announced the completion of 50 percent of the main tunnelling work on the Route 2020 Project, which extends 3.2 km at a varying depth from 12 to 36 metres, while the completion rate of the construction of stations ranges from 4 to 42 percent.

Al Tayer made this statement during an inspection tour of the stations of the Route 2020 Project, which span 15 km from Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station up to the site of the Expo.

He attended a briefing by Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of the Rail Agency, and Abdul Rida Abu Al Hasan, Executive Director of Rail Projects Planning and Development, about the progress of the tunnelling work, which started last October.

The giant Tunnel Boring Machine, known as "Al Wugeisha Expo 2020," commenced tunnel drilling work at Al Furjan. It passed across the Discovery Gardens and reached the underground station nearby Jumeirah Golf Estates, last February. It will continue tunnelling work up to the Dubai Investment Park and all the tunnel-related work is scheduled for completion in December this year.

Al Tayer was also briefed about the work progress in the metro stations. Currently, the architectural, constructional and electromechanical designs are being developed for the Expo Station, the elevated and underground stations, and the Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station. The completion rate of the underground station at Jumeirah Golf Estates has reached 42 percent whereas at DIP it has reached 8 percent.

The completion rate has reached 14 percent in the elevated station at Al Furjan, 12 percent at the Discovery Gardens, 7 percent in Expo Station, and 3 percent in Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station. The completion rate has reached 50 percent in the deep foundations of the Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station. The footbridge linking the station and the Park-N-Ride Terminal has been removed to start construction work in the new station.

The project contractor has completed construction work in the deep foundations and pillars at the Gardens area. Work is currently underway in the manufacturing of the metal structures of the elevated station at the Discovery Garden, where the completion rate has reached 35 percent. Work has started in casting reinforced concrete for the foundations of the main building of the Expo Station. The completion rate of casting concrete pillars of the Expo Station has exceeded 70 percent. The completion rate of the construction of pillars and walls of the western gate of the station has exceeded 90 percent and 40 percent in the Eastern Gate. As for the installation of viaduct segments, about 60 have been installed in various parts of the project.

Al Tayer was delighted with the work progress of the Route 2020 Project, as it is moving according to the approved time chart. The first of the new metro carriages are expected to arrive in July this year. Construction works in viaducts are expected to be completed by November 2018. All the rail works of Route 2020 are expected to be completed in July 2019. The RTA will start the test-run of the metro in February 2020.

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