A senior RTA Official has reported to a local newspaper that Dubai Metro’s Green Line is on schedule to be completed on time in August 2011.
Ramadan Abdullah, Director of Operations at RTA stated that “the trackwork is complete and the 20 stations have been in the final stages of completion for the last three months.”
He claimed that there was no doubt that the line would open for business on time. Safety tests have been taking place over the past few months in order to be ready for operation;
“We simulate different real-life situations and see how the system works under varying circumstances. So far, we have made good progress and we are almost ready to start the operations,” said another senior official.
When asked about the proposed extension plan of the Green Line, Ramadan said the RTA are carrying out a comprehensive study to measure the feasibility of extension and the potential for the growth of metro on the proposed route.
“We are looking at various parameters in the feasibility study — the trend of urban development in the area of the study, the growth of population in the surroundings, the landmarks and businesses that could be targeted etc. We are looking at a cluster of communities that serve around 400,000 residents and we would be happy if at least a quarter of this number is ready to take the metro,” said Ramadan.
The study for the extension from Jaddaf to Academic City, doubling the total length of the 22km line, aims to be ready towards the end of this year.
The RTA is also considering the revision of Dubai’s Rail Master Plan which includes future rail lines — Blue and Purple. “Studies are being conducted about the future lines as well as the technology options and implementation strategies based on the development trends in Dubai.”
The Red Line has proved to be a great success so far, carrying an average of 160,000 daily commuters in its opening 18 months of operation.
