RTA Signs a MoU with ORR for Certification & Regulation of Rail Network
Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
The Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK Office of Rail Regulation (ORR); the first of its kind in the Middle East focusing on certification and regulation of railways to ensure the safety of public, passengers and staff.
The MoU was signed from the RTA by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, and from the ORR by H.E. Allan Spence, Her Majesty’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Railways.
“From inception RTA set out “Safety First” as a logo for all projects undertaken, particularly Dubai Metro, which is one of the biggest and most sophisticated projects undertaken by the RTA. Safety & security are essential ingredients in all components of the Metro Project, which will be a springboard to develop and upgrade all transport modes in the emirate. The Organizational Chart of the RTA encompasses an independent department to cater for Safety under the umbrella of Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector; which was designated as: Safety Regulation & Planning Dep’t tasked to oversee safety planning, policies, licensing, regulation, accident investigation, auditing, and monitoring. RTA also established two departments of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) at Traffic & Roads Agency and Rail Agency, over and above QHSE Offices affiliated to other RTA agencies” said Al Tayer.
“Under Law No. 17/2005, which established the RTA, RTA is tasked with the responsibility of safety of all road, bus, taxi, marine and rail transport in all parts of the emirate of Dubai, including free zones. RTA opted to provide top-class safety standards for Dubai Metro Project through four levels; starting with the Contractor, followed by the Consultant, RTA experts and Lloyds Co.; which is the independent safety surveyor of Dubai Metro Project.
“RTA opted to sign a MoU with ORR in recognition of over 150 years of railway safety experience enjoyed by the ORR. A team of international railway safety experts was established, including Mr. Stanley Robertson, formerly Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Railways, Mr Michael Etwell and Mr. Amair Saleem who were both part of the Certification Team for the recent Taiwan High Speed Rail Project.
“According to the MoU, ORR shall attend to certification and regulation of railways network to ensure the safety of public, passengers and staff. It will also develop and implement health and safety regulation of railways in Dubai, including powers for inspection and enforcement. ORR will lend support to the RTA certification process for railways in Dubai, including support in assessment of the railway operator’s safety management systems. It will provide support to the RTA in the regulation of railways in Dubai, establishment of railway databases to capture railway performance data at Dubai level, followed by statistical, safety & performance analysis, and mentoring & training of RTA staff” added Al Tayer.
Al Tayer hoped that the experience gained from this partnership would further enhance RTA’s standing as the regional leader and expert in this niche field for the benefit of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
He hailed the model experience and fruitful cooperation with the ORR over the course of safety certification assessments of the Nakheel Palm Jumeirah Transit System (Palm Monorail) before the start of revenue operation in April 2009.
H.E. Allan Spence, Her Majesty’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Railways said that ORR would do its level best to align the various processes of the Dubai Metro Project with the international standards & specifications. For this reason, ORR would mobilize all technical expertise to deliver its assignment, added Spence.
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In November 2006 RTA signed an Agreement with Lloyds Register Co. -which is specialized in the field of security, safety, occupational health and industrial facilities – to assess safety in Dubai Metro Project. According to the Agreement, Lloyds Register attends to surveying, testing and inspecting each phase of construction, processing, operation and maintenance of Dubai Metro Project.
The core business of the Consultant focuses on safety of operational systems and Project Safety Survey Plan. This covers initial plans, implementation charts, interim & final engineering designs, as well as follow up of manufacturing, assembling and composition of the train. It also covers initial tests, operation & maintenance installations, trial runs prior to provision of passenger service, completion of project safety systems, and issuing recommendation of safety & operation of the rail system.
The Independent Assessment Contract of Dubai Metro Operation is considered one of the key and major contracts of Dubai Metro Project. The Contract provides full assessment of the metro system, including all components, equipment and related technologies, by a technical body independent from both the Contractor and Consultant to ensure that all security and safety requirements of the metro system have been addressed in full. An ongoing review system of various metro systems & installations is in place to run the metro network on the Red & Green Lines and related accessories. There will be a technical system to track and detect technical safety problems shooting during the metro operation, and the safety metro operation will be certified by the appointed consultant.
RTA stressed the crucial role of the resident independent safety surveyor in aligning the constructional & operational processes to attain highest performance standards. Besides the key role of aligning and coordinating the roles of the Consultant and & the Contractor of the Project, the Independent Safety Surveyor will work hand in hand with the concerned technical team of the Contractor & sub-contractors to finalize the assessment & discussion of the final safety plan of the project covering all parts & phases of the Project. This plan will be the benchmark against which all phases of Dubai Metro Projects systems will be audited, inspected and reviewed.
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