by Staff report www.khaleejtimes.com
Noise from maintenance work at the Dubai Metro Depot in Rashidiyah has affected 17 houses in the area and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is taking steps to ease the impact by strengthening the structures and said it will disburse funds to owners. It is also considering providing new houses to those residents whose buildings have been damaged beyond repair.
‘‘RTA will assess the results of implementing these solutions to verify their effectiveness, and following the completion of site surveys, it will compensate the owners of impacted houses with alternative houses in other areas; a matter which will be submitted to the concerned bodies for endorsement,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the authority, on Monday.
Initial site studies and reports showed 17 houses have been affected, and it has been decided to construct sound barriers to shield them from the noise. There are also plans to construct underground concrete barriers at a suitable depth sufficient to absorb vibrations resulting from the rail traffic, and banning the use of horns within the depot.
“The provisional results of the site survey carried out by the work team indicated that some houses are affected by noises resulting from the squeaking and friction of train wheels when negotiating turns during tests carried out at Rashidiyah Metro Depot. Some houses are impacted by the sound of train horns despite the assurance of the officials of the operation and maintenance firm.
The report also indicated the inhabitants of the first five houses in the direction of Rashidiya Park lacked privacy as their houses face the depot.
Residents of the area told Khaleej Times that the RTA has not informed them of any compensation. Sources, however, said it could be Dh250,000 per house. More info
