By CW Staff www.constructionweekonline.com
Electro-mechanical works on Dubai Metro’s Green Line are 65% to 80% complete, and as high as 85% complete at the park-and-ride facilities at Al Ousais.
This was announced by RTA chairman HE Mattar Al Tayer during a tour of the Green Line’s construction works. Al Tayer expressed his general satisfaction with the work in progress, but stressed the importance of meeting the opening date of August 2011.
Completion rates in stations currently range from 55% to 100% in terms of the overall finishing works. Al Tayer reiterated that, “the project is moving ahead on schedule.”
Al Tayer conducted an inspection tour of the work progress on the Green Line stations at Dubai Healthcare City, Al Ittihad, Al Ghubaiba, Al Ras, Al Qiyada and Etisalat, in addition to the multi-storey car-parking building. He was accompanied by a number of directors and engineers supervising the project.
At Dubai Healthcare City station, construction works have reached an advanced stage, with the internal finishing works at 55% and electro-mechanical works at 65%. At Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba stations, construction and civil works have been fully completed, as are the metal structures and platform doors. Completion of the finishing works in the two stations ranges from 55% to 70%, whereas the completion of electro-mechanical works ranges from 65 to 75%.
Al Ittihad is one of the stations where the Red and Green Lines intersect. This 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 on the Red Line, and Bani Yas and Salah Uddin on the Green Line. The contractor has completed all concrete works and metal structures of platform screen doors, with completion of the internal finishing works at 70% and 85% for the electro-mechanical works.
Al Qiyadah along Al Ittihad Road near the Dubai Police general headquarters is one of the elevated stations of the Green Line, with a capacity to handle 11,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with dimensions measuring about 130 metres in length and 30 metres in width. It has two ingress points fitted with escalators and lifts. The completion rate has reached 90% in the construction works, 70% in the finishing works and 75% in the electro-mechanical works.
Etisalat station is the starting point of the Green Line, where the contractor has finalised all concrete works, metal structures of the station and platform doors. Completion rate has reached 70% in the finishing works and 75% in the electro-mechanical works.
At the multi-level park-and-ride facility, the completion rate in terms of the parking lot, surrounding roads, bus station and footbridges is nearing 88%.The facility can accommodate 2,350. It has been designed to provide ample space for feeder buses and to ensure smooth traffic flow. 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.
