There was a time not so long ago when the Metro was seen as an exercise in mild futility. The general if uninformed public consensus was that Dubai was a car-centric town and that no executive would deign to take a train to work and that these blue streaks would go empty.

As one congratulates the RTA on a magnificent obsession and their determination to prove that school of thought wrong by crossing the 100 million passenger mark in just over two years, there is only pride in accepting that the Metro is now intrinsic to the mass transit concept in Dubai and is performing a yeoman duty in connecting the hubs and making travel across the metropolis that much easier.

To be entirely fair, the convenience is further heightened by the arrival of the Green Line, which has provided a breadth to the length and now allows the traveler to move with that much more ease.

Cleanliness, high maintenance values and extreme safety add to the experience and even those who are not joyriding but commuting to work and back have gradually discovered that the back up transportation via bus or private taxi, if one so chooses is seamless and there is no delay. In fact, proof of the huge popularity of the Metro system can be visually confirmed by just looking at the trains going past and seeing how they have gradually begun to fill up with passengers.

With the good weather upon us the sun is certainly shining on the efforts of the RTA in offering this hi-tech 21^st century option to the people. With tourist traffic certain to show a marked rise in the months to come, one believes that even the Metro will have a waiting time as each train fills up.

It is a far cry from 24 months ago when the attitude was one of the Metro not being for likes of us. Today, the CEO sits in comfort, reading his paper and avoiding the costs of car travel, parking and delays. The best part of this situation is that there is no longer that ‘hang up’ of it being déclassé. On the contrary travelling by train has become the logical thing to do and it is not heavy on the pocket.

Good show…right on track.

Some small impressions of the Dubai Metro, the world’s longest driverless metro system, on the Red Line (the only line opened at this point).
A complete passenger drive on the complete line will follow.

Source:  www.youtube.com

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, has issued a Decision appointing Yousef Ahmed Jawad as Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Administrative Services Sector, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai.

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, congratulated the incumbent Yousef Jawad hoping him every success in his new position, and called upon all RTA agencies & sectors to cooperate and work in a team spirit to achieve the cherished objectives of the RTA.

Yousef is a young national leader who is fully dedicated to serve his country and has played a considerable role during the foundation days of the RTA. He assumed the posts of Director of Human Resources, Director Administrative Services and Director of Development and Corporate Performance before taking up his present post.

Jawad has the skill to develop human resource methodologies aligned with the European excellence model applied in the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP) as well as the skills of computing the cost of the delivered services. He participated in developing the Unified Dubai Government Resources System in cooperation with the Ruler’s Court. He also took part in developing the Dubai Government Human Resources System in cooperation with the Executive Office and was a member of the Higher Nomination Committee of the DGEP at Dubai Municipality for seven years in a row.

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), has revealed that RTA mass transit means, comprising the Dubai Metro, public buses, marine transit modes and taxis, have lifted more than 332 million passengers in 2010, compared to 288.777 million passengers in 2009. The average number of daily riders in 2010 was about 957 thousand persons compared to 800 thousand persons in 2009. This number is likely to increase with the completion of the remaining metro stations on the Red Line, and the operation of the Green Line; which will be completed on schedule in August 2011.

“Targeting to realize multi-modal integration of mass transit systems as envisaged in the RTA Strategic Plan; which is aligned with the Dubai Strategic Plan (Infrastructure Sector) aimed at providing an integrated road & transport system that ensures smooth traffic flow and the highest levels of safety for all system users, RTA is making expeditious efforts to make the public transport means the ideal mobility choice for people in the Emirate. This will also achieve one of the strategic objectives of the RTA i.e. curtailing the use of private vehicles, and raising the use of public transport means from 6 per cent in 2009 to 30 per cent in 2020” said Al Tayer noting that last year public transport share was about 11 per cent.

He continued: “The number of public bus users in 2010 clocked 113 million passengers with a daily ridership of about 314 thousand passengers. The number of passengers using marine transit means, comprising abras and the water bus, was about 15.35 million passengers with abras ferrying about 42 thousand passengers per day and the water bus lifting about 877 passengers per day.

“The Dubai Metro has lifted about 38.888 million passengers in 2010 and the average daily rider-ship of the metro is currently hovering around 149 thousand passengers and this number is poised to increase with the opening of the remaining metro stations on the Red Line. The metro ridership is set to receive a big boost in the second half of this year with the operation of the Green Line as it serves vital areas with bustling business and government activities and huge population density.

“Last year, taxis in Dubai Emirate made about 225,500 trips per day serving about 451 thousand persons, and the total number of trips made by taxis in 2010 was about 82.3 million trips lifting about 164.7 million passengers.

“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai to uplift the infrastructure of transportation sector has paid dividends and proved effective. The increase in the number of mass transit means users reflect an improvement in the culture of using public transport by all segments of the community, and the drive was particularly helped by the metro service. Using mass transportation has a host of benefits that include providing physical & psychological comfort to the user, minimizing crashes, economizing on the fuel & maintenance costs of private vehicles and ridding the public from the hassles of finding parking spaces for their vehicles; which has become a challenge facing modern cities worldwide. Besides that, the use of public transportation effectively reduces environmental pollution resulting from the use of massive numbers of private vehicles; which triggers many ailments including respiratory system illnesses.

“RTA is always seeking to upgrade its work mechanism through a number of innovative solutions and strategic initiatives run in the context of its vision of providing Safe and Smooth Transport for All. On the first of November last, RTA launched the Public Transport Day offering Nol card holders free rides on the Dubai Metro, public buses and the Water Bus for one day, and the number of commuters using the metro, public buses and the Water Bus clocked 606,390 persons on that day; reflecting a 39 per cent rise from the average number of commuters at that time. RTA will continue upgrading the services offered to the public in keeping with the regional and global profile of Dubai in the commercial, economic, service, financial, property, and tourist sectors among others,” said Al Tayer in a concluding statement.

Dubai metro HD video 2011

Source:  www.youtube.com

Under the auspices and in attendance of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) celebrates on Wednesday February 10th the winning companies and organizations of the 2nd Dubai Award for Sustained Transport (DAST) 2009.

Such Awards aim at encouraging community organizations to play an active and positive role in sustained transport, reasserting the leading role of the RTA in promoting partnerships & cooperation with various entities, and bringing sustained transport issues to the forefront of local bodies and media attention.

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA announced the winning companies and organizations of the 2nd DAST; as endorsed by an independent panel of experts & specialists from outside the RTA headed by Dr. Salim Ali Al Shafi’ee. The Awards comprise four categories and two Special Recognition categories.

In the category of Special Needs Transportation Requirements the winner was Dubai Airports Co., second came Dubai Center for Special Needs, and the third position went to Emirates Driving Institute.

In the category of Transport Management, the first position was claimed by Dubai World Trade Center, while Dubai Municipality landed the second position, and Dubai Police General Head Quarters finishing third.
In Environment Conservation, the first position was clinched by ENOC Retail Co., while Land Rover Middle East & North Africa Co. finished second, and Al Futtaim Carillion Co came third.

In Transport Safety Category, Emirates Motor Sports Federation landed the first position, and the second position went to Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est., and the third position went to Emirates Transport.
In the Special Mention, the Best Academic Research Award was bagged by Mr. Nazim Fawzi Mansour, and Mr. Roohi Abdat, and the Best Media Coverage was won by the New Commercial Medical Center.

Commenting on the Awards, RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director said: “Despite being recently introduced, Dubai Award for Sustained Transport has made tremendous success as illustrated by the huge number of initiatives subscribed resulting in a 100% increase in the number of submissions made in the second edition of the Awards compared to the first one. Besides that, there is a substantial improvement in the quality & content of submission made, coupled with a heavy participation among public & private organizations”.

Al Tayer stated that all accepted applications conforming to the stipulations of the Award were assessed by the Judging Panel based on meticulous & detailed assessment criteria in accordance with prior approved weights and grades based on main & sub criteria to ensure accuracy, objectivity and fairness in judging all assessed applications. He pointed out that submissions received have been subjected to 7 basic assessment steps starting with the receipt, scrutiny and verification of participations and ending up with the submission of final assessment results.

In its second edition, the Award comprised four categories, following the introduction of a new category vis-à-vis Special Needs Transportation Requirements category; which is concerned with any initiative or practice that addresses the mobility requirements of the disabled. The Second category (Mobility Management) aims at focusing on applicable practices and initiatives that promote the effectiveness of all types of transportation means. The third category (Environment Conservation) aims at minimizing the adverse effects of mass transportation means on the environment. The submission must include an initiative leading to minimizing the levels of air pollution resulting from various transport means, and minimizing the levels & impacts of visual pollution resulting from various mass transportation means.

The fourth category (Transport Safety) is concerned with the initiatives & practices that contribute to raising the standards of safety and security of mass transportation users through improving the performance metrics and levels related to transport means users. This is envisaged to be realized through advocating & upgrading the knowledge and commitment to safety rules and practices during the operation or use of any transportation mode, besides improving security and safety levels that render mass transportation means safer.

This in turn encompasses the application of simple or sophisticated technologies, modification of transportation means and enhancing the safety features of transportation facilities such as roads, parking lots, bus stations, railways and marine transport.
The second edition of DAST witnessed the introduction of two new categories under Special Recognition Awards; namely: Best Media Coverage; which is intended to promote the awareness of the Award, and the Best Academic Research in the field sustained transport.

Dubai could spend about $3bn in transport infrastructure projects in 2010 as it looks to stimulate the economy and has no issue paying its contractors, the chairman of the transport department said.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: The Dubai Metro opened in September last year. The emirate has a transport budget of AED10.5bn for transport projects. (ITP Images)

The government has positioned its infrastructure development as central to its position as the Middle East’s commercial and tourism hub and continued to invest in it even as the economic crisis battered Dubai’s real estate market and sent tens of thousands of workers home.

“Investing in infrastructure is the driving force for the economy,” Mattar al Tayyer, chairman of Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority told a news conference on Wednesday.

“We have AED10.5bn budget for this year and we will spend more in the future,” he said, later adding that could rise to AED10.7bn.

Dubai sent shockwaves through global markets in November when it said it would request a standstill on billions of dollars of debts linked to the state-held holding firm Dubai World and its property units Limitless and Nakheel, developer of three palm-shaped islands.

Costs on the Dubai metro rail project, which started operating in September, soared 80 percent to AED28bn, officials said in August.

Construction on the metro has been slowed as the Japanese leader of the consortium discusses cost increases due to design changes, a spokesman for general contractor Obayashi Corp said on January 7.

When asked whether Dubai could meet obligations to contractors and consultants on the project, Tayyer said “there is no issue.”

The other Japanese consortium members are general contractor Kajima Corp, Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi Insaat Ve Sanati AS, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and trading house Mitsubishi Corp.

The full completion of the rail system was originally scheduled for this spring but is expected to be delayed until the end of the year. (Reuters)

The Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has won two awards of the biannual Gulf Traffic Conference & Exhibition 2009 in recognition of its competence in the fields of safety, transport and infrastructure in the Middle East.

Traffic Department at RTA Traffic & Roads Agency won Road Safety Award (Infrastructure Projects), while Rail Agency won Transport Project of the Year Award (Public Transport).

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA hailed the efforts of RTA engineers and employees who contributed to the award-winning projects and stressed that RTA projects & business are aligned on international specifications of high quality standards; which qualify them to clinch several international awards.

“Winning such awards brings in fresh responsibilities to our standing commitment of living up to the international standards in the projects and programs undertaken. Moreover, it leverages RTA staff to be creative and innovative in order to remain competitive at the top and have an edge to introduce creative concepts & methods in transport, traffic and roads sectors across the globe” commented Al Tayer.

“The Emirate of Dubai has undergone a quality transition in developing mass transit systems which have been recently culminated in the opening Phase I of Dubai Metro Project; the longest automated driverless metro project implemented in a single project worldwide. The overall length of the project is 75 km; 52 km on the Red Line and 23 km on the Green Line, both lines have 47 stations.

“Dubai Metro uses state-of-the-art rail technology featuring an air-conditioning system inside the stations and trains customized to function under the climatic conditions of metropolitan Dubai.

 All trains operate according to an integrated electronic system enabling enhanced control and accurate setting of journey timings. The metro stations have been designed in an innovative architectural stylish method and fitted with the latest safety & security technologies, while providing parking facilities for private vehicles and public transport modes in each station.

“Having Traffic & Roads Agency winning Road Safety Award underscores the efforts made by Traffic Dep’t in carrying out of programs & plans that contributed to effectively improving traffic safety level of roads in the Emirate, according to indicators and statistics contained in the bidding file of the Award.

“Traffic Safety Section at Traffic Department compiles, audits, streamlines and saves traffic accidents data in the GIS in order to further study and identify their indicators in a way that guides us in drawing up plans and business of traffic safety in Dubai. Traffic safety strategy of Dubai Emirate 2015 includes 25 initiatives to improve the traffic safety in the Emirate. Traffic Safety Section has recently completed several projects & programs related to road safety such as Auditing Road Traffic Safety Manual, Traffic Diversions Manual, Roadsides Designing Manual, Safety & Pedestrian Security Plan, Identifying the Locations of Footbridges and Pedestrian Crossings, Identifying the Locations of Black Points System, Upgrading the Standards of Roads Infrastructure Safety, and Reviewing Traffic Rules and Benchmarking them to the Best International Practices of the Industry” added RTA Chairman.

Al Tayer concluded by reiterating RTA attention to reduce traffic accident rates through focusing on safety & awareness aspects in well-rehearsed and guided approach to realize RTA vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All.

For her part Sarah Woodbridge, Group Director – Exhibitions at The Institute for International Research (IIR), the organizer of Gulf Traffic said: “We feel it is necessary to reward the pioneers and innovators at public and private entities operating in the fields of transport and infrastructure across the Middle East”.

She added: Gulf Traffic Conference & Exhibition is held biannually featuring participation from public & private organizations at various countries.

It is the first time the organizers decide on offering awards for the best practices and applications in the fields of traffic, roads & safety. The awards comprise three segments: transport innovation, road safety and public transport project of the year.  The Awards comprise 8 categories and the Dubai RTA won both the second and third categories. The Director of Traffic Department at Traffic & Roads Agency Hussain Al Banna collected Roads Safety Award, while the Director of Rail Planning & Designing Dep’t at Rail Agency Abdul Rida Abu Al Hassan received the Project of the Year Award – Public Transport in a ceremony held at Dubai Aviation Club attended by all participants.

Judges Panel comprises Dr. Reem Ahmed Akbari at Centre for Transport and Road Studies, University of Bahrain, Tony Pearce, Honorary Director General, International Road Federation, and Dr. Paul Carlson, Division Head of Operations & Design, Texas Transportation Institute.

Roads & Transport Authority: The Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has won two awards of the biannual Gulf Traffic Conference & Exhibition 2009 in recognition of its competence in the fields of safety, transport and infrastructure in the Middle East.

Dubai metro

Traffic Department at RTA Traffic & Roads Agency won Road Safety Award (Infrastructure Projects), while Rail Agency won Transport Project of the Year Award (Public Transport).

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA hailed the efforts of RTA engineers and employees who contributed to the award-winning projects and stressed that RTA projects & business are aligned on international specifications of high quality standards; which qualify them to clinch several international awards.

“Winning such awards brings in fresh responsibilities to our standing commitment of living up to the international standards in the projects and programs undertaken. Moreover, it leverages RTA staff to be creative and innovative in order to remain competitive at the top and have an edge to introduce creative concepts & methods in transport, traffic and roads sectors across the globe” commented Al Tayer.

“The Emirate of Dubai has undergone a quality transition in developing mass transit systems which have been recently culminated in the opening Phase I of Dubai Metro Project; the longest automated driverless metro project implemented in a single project worldwide. The overall length of the project is 75 km; 52 km on the Red Line and 23 km on the Green Line, both lines have 47 stations.

“Dubai Metro uses state-of-the-art rail technology featuring an air-conditioning system inside the stations and trains customized to function under the climatic conditions of metropolitan Dubai. All trains operate according to an integrated electronic system enabling enhanced control and accurate setting of journey timings. The metro stations have been designed in an innovative architectural stylish method and fitted with the latest safety & security technologies, while providing parking facilities for private vehicles and public transport modes in each station.

“Having Traffic & Roads Agency winning Road Safety Award underscores the efforts made by Traffic Dep’t in carrying out of programs & plans that contributed to effectively improving traffic safety level of roads in the Emirate, according to indicators and statistics contained in the bidding file of the Award.

“Traffic Safety Section at Traffic Department compiles, audits, streamlines and saves traffic accidents data in the GIS in order to further study and identify their indicators in a way that guides us in drawing up plans and business of traffic safety in Dubai. Traffic safety strategy of Dubai Emirate 2015 includes 25 initiatives to improve the traffic safety in the Emirate. Traffic Safety Section has recently completed several projects & programs related to road safety such as Auditing Road Traffic Safety Manual, Traffic Diversions Manual, Roadsides Designing Manual, Safety & Pedestrian Security Plan, Identifying the Locations of Footbridges and Pedestrian Crossings, Identifying the Locations of Black Points System, Upgrading the Standards of Roads Infrastructure Safety, and Reviewing Traffic Rules and Benchmarking them to the Best International Practices of the Industry” added RTA Chairman.

Al Tayer concluded by reiterating RTA attention to reduce traffic accident rates through focusing on safety & awareness aspects in well-rehearsed and guided approach to realize RTA vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All.

For her part Sarah Woodbridge, Group Director – Exhibitions at The Institute for International Research (IIR), the organizer of Gulf Traffic said: “We feel it is necessary to reward the pioneers and innovators at public and private entities operating in the fields of transport and infrastructure across the Middle East”.

She added: Gulf Traffic Conference & Exhibition is held biannually featuring participation from public & private organizations at various countries. It is the first time the organizers decide on offering awards for the best practices and applications in the fields of traffic, roads & safety. The awards comprise three segments: transport innovation, road safety and public transport project of the year.  The Awards comprise 8 categories and the Dubai RTA won both the second and third categories. The Director of Traffic Department at Traffic & Roads Agency Hussain Al Banna collected Roads Safety Award, while the Director of Rail Planning & Designing Dep’t at Rail Agency Abdul Rida Abu Al Hassan received the Project of the Year Award – Public Transport in a ceremony held at Dubai Aviation Club attended by all participants.

Judges Panel comprises Dr. Reem Ahmed Akbari at Centre for Transport and Road Studies, University of Bahrain, Tony Pearce, Honorary Director General, International Road Federation, and Dr. Paul Carlson, Division Head of Operations & Design, Texas Transportation Institute.

The Dubai Metro has picked up the award for Transport Project of the Year for Public Transport at the 2009 Gulf Traffic awards.

The Dubai Metro has picked up the award for Transport Project of the Year for Public Transport

In a ceremony held on Sunday evening, RTA’s director of planning and development of rail agency Abdul Redha Abu Al Hassan collected the award for the project, which the judges chose as the winner because “it will have the greatest impact on the safe and smooth mobility of the people of Dubai for decades and centuries to come.”

“As these sectors grow in importance throughout the region, so does the need to reward, appreciate and celebrate industry leaders and innovators – the Gulf Traffic Awards are an independent and prestigious endorsement of the quality of Middle East based transport and infrastructure professionals, companies and organisations,” said Sarah Woodbridge, Group Director – Exhibitions, IIR Middle East, the organisers of the Gulf Traffic Awards which took place alongside the Gulf Traffic Exhibition.

Gulf Traffic runs December 6-8 at Dubai International Exhibition Centre.