Source: www.rta.ae
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) has joined the Dubai Metro corporate bandwagon, allowing Karama station on the Red Line to be named after this flagship financial institution.
This step has rendered this giant bank a key part of the development process that the RTA seeks to materialize through the metro project which contributed significantly to shifting the traditional concept of sponsorship and brands to a more advanced level of integration and comprehensive partnership in branding.
An agreement to this effect was signed with the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank in the presence of Abdullah Yousef, CEO of RTA Rail Agency, and Alaa Erekat, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, among scores of other concerned parties.
Abdullah Yousef, reiterated RTA’s keenness to avail the opportunity for various public and private companies in Dubai UAE to participate in the naming rights project which would raise the level of awareness about national and international brands in a way that enhances its standing in the emirate, and contributes to improving the metro services in a unique and creative manner.
Following the announcement of the deal, Abdullah Yousef said, “Partnering with the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which has joined a series of companies benefiting from the metro naming rights project, and will have the naming rights of Al Karama station, is a testament to the success of the project which gained the confidence of partners. The metro stations naming rights project is particularly appealing to owners of giant brands in Dubai emirate, and contributes to attracting investment opportunities for their trade.”
“The Dubai Metro Station Naming project is the first of its kind in the Middle East and is globally being hailed as the best practice worldwide. It is the world’s first revenue model for public transport infrastructure, which has now been emulated by other cosmopolitan cities such as Chicago, Boston, Houston, London, Delhi-Gurgaon, Philadelphia, Montreal and Rio de Janeiro, among others,” added the CEO of Rail Agency.
For his part, Ala’a Eraiqat, Chief Executive Officer of ADCB, said: “The government’s clear vision has succeeded in providing a mass transit system characterized by high performance and operational efficiency just after five years from the initial operation of the Dubai Metro, which has proved to be one of the successful mass transport systems in the emirate.” Eraiqat was elated to rename Al Karama station as Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank for its close proximity to the largest branch of the bank in Dubai.
He was hugely impressed with the partnership with RTA in this mega project which reflects the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, stressing the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to realize the objectives that contribute to the interest of the community and individuals; which in turn would assist in obtaining higher echelons in global competitiveness and foster the culture of social welfare for residents and visitors.
It is worth-mentioning that other stations named after private or public firms on both the Red and Green Lines are Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Etisalat, Gulf General Investment Company (GGICO), Sharaf DG, First Gulf Bank, Nakheel, The Palm Deira, Nakheel Harbour & Tower, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Noor Islamic Bank, Burjuman Center, and Danube Company. More info
