Tuesday, 1 September 2009

Dubai Metro due to open 9th September.

The Dubai Metro is due to open on 9th September '09.
Construction costs of the Metro are estimated to have risen by 75% to $7.6bn since the contracts were awarded four years ago. After initial statements that all 47 stations would be operational, the number dropped to 20-something and now only 10 stations will open on the first day of operation.
I didn't realise until I read the article below, that the Metro will not operate on Fridays until 2pm.
Source: ArabianBusinessOnline 30 August '09
================
Only 10 stations will be open when the Dubai Metro Red Line launches on September 9 and the opening of the Green Line has been pushed back three months, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday.
The stations to open on September 9 will be: Rashidiya, Airport Terminal 3, Deira City Center, Al Rigga, Union, Khaleed bin Al Waleed, Al Jafiliya, DIFC, Mall of the Emirates and Nakheel Harbour and Tower.
The Green Line, originally scheduled to open in March 2010, will open three months later than originally planned.
Other stations on the Red Line, such as Jebel Ali, are ready to open on the launch day but are being delayed because surrounding developments are not ready, RTA chairman Mattar Al Tayer said at a press conference.
Most other stations are expected to be open by February next year.
The decision to delay opening all the stations was to avoid "bugs in the system". He added: "The service to the public has to be efficient...we don't want to compromise safety."
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed will officially inaugurate the Dubai Metro on the first day of operations.
Initially, 11 trains will run on the Red Line, which is expected to carry 3,500 passengers per hour in each direction.
The RTA said 90 percent of Red Line stations were ready for operation, even if they didn't look it from the outside.
Commenting on how the scheme had progressed, Al Tayer added that it was common for such a large-scale project to have "disputes with contractors" but added that they had all been paid on time.
He said that financing for the metro project had been guaranteed by the Dubai government.
During Ramadan, the Metro will operate from 6am to midnight, apart from Fridays when operating hours will be 2pm until midnight. Initially, the trains will run at a rate of six per hour, or every ten minutes. Normal operating hours will be 6am to 11pm, except Fridays, when it will operate from 2pm.
Work on the Dubai Metro officially began on March 21, 2006. When completed, the Red and Green lines will have a total of 70km of track and 47 stations.
Officials estimate the metro will carry 27,000 passengers per hour and 355 million passengers a year, once both lines are fully operational. Each train can carry up to 643 passengers in five cabins.
A standard ticket will cost between AED2.50 ($0.68) and AED6.50 ($1.80).

No comments:

Post a Comment