By CW Staff www.constructionweekonline.com
Construction work on most Dubai Metro Green Line stations is complete and interior finishing work is progressing at an encouraging rate according to H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).
Al Tayer inspected the $1.3bn (AED4.7bn) project over the weekend, visiting the Metro Depot at Al Qusais, Rail Operation Control Centre, and its multi-storey car park, as well as Etisalat, Al Ras, Al Ghubaiba stations and the massive 25,000m2 station at Al Ittihad where the Metro’s Green and Red lines intersect.
The Green Line is 20km long and runs between the Creek, through the Dubai city centre, out to the Dubai Airport Free Zone and in to its depot at Al Qusais. It has 22 stations and includes an 8km underground section with eight stations, including the two interchange stations where the Metro’s Red and Green lines intersect.
The project is set for completion in Q3 2011, and the main contractors are Systra-Parsons JV and the Dubai Rapid Link Consortium (DURL), with W S Atkins as the main consultants.
While construction work is almost completed at all Green Line Stations, work on the interior fit out varied from site to site. Construction work on the Rail Systems Operations Control Centre, which will be used to control all traffic on both the Red and Green Lines, is almost complete: metal structures and external cladding work is nearly finished, while the interior finishing work has passed its halfway point.
The park-and-ride facility at Al Qusais with its 2350-space parking lot, surrounding roads, bus station and footbridge is 75% complete; while the depot itself – designed to house 60 trains and service facilities for them – is almost finished.
Major construction work and civil works on at stations at Al Ras and Al Gubaiba has been finished, and contractors have started on the interior fit-out. The location of the two stations, in the heart of the old city, has meant they will differ in their design to others on the metro and will include traditional elements used in antique buildings, such as wind towers (Brajeel), oriels (Mashrabia), alleyways (Sukaik).
Al Tayer said that he was delighted with the progress of the work, but called on contractors to commit more effort in to ensuring the project met its deadline.
