Source: www.rta.ae
The Rail Agency, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), discussed in an open house comprising strategic partners, partners, investors and service providers hailing from various firms and entities in Dubai to review the strategic and future plans set for the rail sector in Dubai Emirate.
The gathering was held in RTA’s Auditorium in the presence of Abdulla Yousef Al Ali, Acting CEO of RTA Rail Agency; Abdul Rida Abu al-Hassan, Director of Rail Planning & Development Projects; Mohammed al-Mudharreb, Director of Rail Operation; Ahmed al-Shareef, Director of Rail Maintenance, and a host of officials, administrators and strategic partners.
“Open house events are held regularly throughout the year in order to meet with strategic partners, partners, investors and service providers from various firms and entities who are instrumental to the successes and achievements made by the Rail Agency in providing public transport in general and running the metro service in particular, thanks to the continuous flow of views, ideas and suggestions exchanged which contribute to uplifting the level of services and operations of the Agency,” said Abdulla Yousef Al Ali, Acting CEO of Rail Agency.
Mohammed al-Mudharreb, Director of Rail Operation, made a visual presentation featuring the Rail Agency, Red & Green Lines of the Dubai Metro, automated train control system, park-and-ride stations & facilities, along with the metro control and operation centers and their vital role in monitoring stations, and the rolling stock on the elevated tracks and tunnels. It also tackled voice communication with rail depots, fare systems, metro highlights since inception in 2009, and the substantial increase in the metro ridership. Al-Mudharreb also reviewed the new metro service launched in 2012 known as the Express Metro on the Red Line which was well received by the public and scooped the Best Government Service Award in the Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart Government Program.
Another visual presentation was made about the Dubai Tram, where the first tram coaches arrived last December, highlighting the external & internal design of the tram vehicles, unique design of tram stations and various construction phases. It explained that the project is part of Dubai Government drive prioritizing the provision of sophisticated and integrated transit systems to serve densely populated areas and urban development districts in the Emirate such as the Jumeirah Beach Residence, Marina, and al-Safouh neighbourhoods which will directly benefit from this project. The presentation also spotlighted the timeline set for the scheduled trial runs before the official launch of the service in November 2014.
Another visual presentation was made during the gathering about the master plan of future rail network and projects needed to serve the anticipated development projects in Dubai up to 2020, 2025, and 2030; epitomizing the sizeable integration between the master plan of the rail network and the mass transit network including buses, and marine transit modes. The review highlighted the anticipated expansions envisaged by the RTA over the next decade including the extension of the Metro Green Line from al-Jaddaf to the Academic City, extension of the Metro Red Line from al-Rashidiya Station to Mirdiff, Phase II of the Dubai Tram, and other vital projects related to a feasibility study of providing light transit systems in Za’abeel, and options of linking the Red Line along the Sheikh Zayed Road with the site of Expo 2020 near Al Maktoum International Airport by 2020.
Before the end of the gathering, the two parties engaged in discussions and dialogue where the RTA furnished answers to the queries raised by partners and promised to adopt their constructive views contributing to a better service to customers.
At the end of the gathering, representatives of strategic partners, partners and service providers commended the continuous efforts of the RTA to communicate with them, enabling them access to the latest developments related to rail projects besides sharing suggestions and views. More info
