Dubai: Almost all construction works at Rashidiya depot of the Dubai Metro project have been completed, the Roads and Transport Authourity (RTA) announced.
Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of RTA announced that completion of construction works, set for July 2010, has reached 80 per cent at Rashidiya station, 85 per cent in the nearby multi-storey car park, and 85 per cent in the rail operation control centre.
Al Tayer made the announcement while inspecting the progress of the project during a tour to Rashidiya station, the park and ride facilities, and the depot. Al Tayer also inspected the project progress of roads and bridges leading to Rashidiya station.
The station offering escalators and lifts extends 130 metres in length and 30 metres in width, and can accommodate 11,000 passengers an hour in each direction.
The car park can hold about 2,700 vehicles and its ground level, designated for public buses, is able to accommodate several articulated and double-decker buses at a time.
The parking building has been linked with bridges to the metro station such that the farthest distance from the parking lot to the station entrance would not exceed three minutes. All necessary safety features are in place inside the parking lot.
Al Tayer was briefed by the director of Roads Department at RTA Traffic Roads Agency, Nabeel Mohammad Saleh, on the progress made in constructing the linking bridges to the entry and exit points of the parking lot costing Dh699 million.
The project comprises construction of directional ramps at the intersection of Emirates Road and Al Khawaeej Road, in addition to two bridges across Al Khawaneej Road to ease the inbound and outbound traffic flow in the parking lot.
The length of the bridges is about 2.5 kilometres.
The main depot at Rashidiya has a parking area able to house 64 trains. The depot includes the rail operations control centre which enables full control of the daily operation of both the Red and Green Lines.
It also provides control of rail traffic and systems through supervising the functionality of the running stock, communication systems, electrical transformers, and the electric supply system for trains and stations.
It enables supervision of the safety systems such as the fire-fighting systems, ventilation systems in tunnels, and the safety of doors, brakes and engines of each train.
The centre provides communication channels with rail commuters in the event of an emergency.
Al Tayer said that undertaking these projects was part of the overall efforts of the RTA to provide smooth transit networks for road users.
“This drive is in line with the RTA master plan to upgrade mass transit modes in the emirate…,” said Al Tayer.
Published: April 04, 2009
Staff Report www.gulfnews.com
