Al Tayer: Construction Works of Rashidiya Rail Depot Completed

Al Tayer: Construction Works of Rashidiya Rail Depot Completed

Completion Rates Hit: 85% in Rail Operation Control Center, 85% in Park & Ride Facilities, and 80% in Rashidiya Station

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board & Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) announced the completion of almost all construction works in Rashidiya Depot of Dubai Metro Project. Al Tayer also announced that completion rates of construction works reached 80% in Rashidiya Station, 85% in the nearby multi-storey car park, and 85% in Rail Operation Control Center.
Al Tayer made the above announcement while inspecting the work progress in Dubai Metro Project during a tour that took him to Rashidiya Station, Park & Ride facilities, and the Depot. Al Tayer also inspected the progress of construction works in the project of roads & bridges leading to Rashidiya Station.
Al Tayer set off his tour by visiting Rashidiya Station; the starting point of the Red Line, and attended to a briefing from the CEO of Rail Agency Abdul Majeed Al Khaja about the progress rate made in the Station which has so far reached 80%. The Station extends 130 meters in length & 30 meters in width and has a capacity to handle 11,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The Station has two gateways fitted with escalators & lifts to ease the entry & exit of passengers.
Al Tayer then inspected the car park which has a capacity to house about 2700 vehicles, and the Ground Level is designated for public buses providing feeder service to the Station. It was therefore designed to accommodate the articulated and double-deck buses, ensure smooth traffic flow, and accommodate a large number of buses at a time. The parking building is linked with bridges leading to the Metro Station such that the farthest distance from the parking slot to the entrance of the Station would not exceed 3 minutes approximately. All necessary safety features are in place inside the parking lot.
Al Tayer was also briefed by the Director of Roads Dep’t at RTA Traffic Roads Agency Nabeel Mohammed Saleh on the progress made in constructing bridges leading to the entry & exit points of the parking lot of Dubai Metro Station at Rashidiya, costing 699 million dirham in total. All construction works in the project are set for completion next July. The Project comprises construction of directional ramps at the intersection Emirates Road and Al Khawaeej Road, in addition to construction of two bridges across Al Khawaneej Road to ease the inbound and outbound traffic flow in the parking lot. The total length of the bridges is about 2.5 km.
Al Tayer moved then to the main Depot at Rashidiya, comprising a parking area for train coaches with a capacity to house 64 trains. The Depot also includes the Rail Operations Control Center; which enables full control of the daily operation of the metro service on both the Red and Green Lines. It also provides control, supervision and monitoring of rail traffic & systems through supervising the functionality of the running stock, communication systems, electrical transformers, and the electric supply system for trains and metro stations. It also enables supervision of the safety systems such as the fire-fighting systems, ventilation systems in tunnels, stations & trains in addition to rail air-conditioning systems, and the safety of doors, brakes and engines of each train. The Center provides communication channels with rail commuters in the event of emergency through the communication systems on board the coaches and in the Control Room.
Al Tayer inspected the maintenance workshops, which have several giant gantries & sophisticated electronic systems, and also inspected the train washing & cleaning workshop.
The Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA said that undertaking these projects was part of the overall efforts of the RTA to provide smooth transit networks for road users enablung them prompt access to Dubai Metro Stations. “This drive is in line with the RTA master plan to upgrade mass transit modes in the emirate and attract additional numbers of commuters to ease road congestions. Our target is to raise the percentage of trips made by mass transport modes from 6% to 30% through providing high-quality mass transit modes, at affordable costs and with a wide geographical coverage such that it can compete private vehicles. We have also got to raise the awareness and reorient the social culture & perception about the use of mass transit modes, and help integrate the services of public transport such as public buses, metro and marine transport” added Al Tayer.
It is worth-mentioning that Dubai Metro is the longest driverless metro line undertaken in one project worldwide. It uses the state-of-the-art technologies in rail operations and is equipped with air-conditioning systems in the stations & trains customized to fit the climatic conditions of Dubai urban area. All trains will be operated in an integrated electronic system; enabling enhanced control and accurate timing of trip schedules. Rail stations have a unique and creative architectural design and are fitted with the latest safety & security features, with spaces allotted for the parking of private & public vehicles at each station.
The total length of the Red & Green Lines is about 75 km; 52 km for the Red Line and 23 km for the Green Line. There will be 47 stations in both lines; 29 stations along the Red Line (comprising 4 underground stations and 25 elevated stations), and 18 stations along the Green Line (comprising 6 underground stations and 12 elevated stations).

Photos:
- Mattar Al Tayer inspecting Rashidiya Station
- Al Tayer attending to a briefing about the work progress in Rail Operation System Control Center