By Essam Al Ghalib www.thenational.ae
DUBAI // Several Green Line Metro stations could soon be renamed as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) yesterday said it was negotiating with companies over sponsorship rights.
About Dh2 billion was raised in branding 21 stations on both the Red and Green lines over the past two years and the RTA hopes the new stations will raise a similar amount.
Adnan Al Hammadi, the chief executive of the RTA’s Rail Agency, declined to say how many stations would be renamed or what they would cost. “Each of these chosen stations has a unique value, calculated according to its prime location, anticipated passenger numbers and other variable factors,” he said.
He said stations that hold an existing heritage or landmark name such as Al Ghubaiba would retain it.
Companies such as First Gulf Bank, Noor Islamic Bank, Sharaf DG and others that already have Red Line stations named after them can apply for a Green Line station. That means two stations on separate lines could have the same name.
An RTA representative said a station did not have to be near the headquarters or branch of the company after which it was named. Each agreement would last for 10 years.
