RTA opens Jebel Ali Metro Station next Friday, Red Line expands 9 km

RTA opens Jebel Ali Metro Station next Friday, Red Line expands 9 km

Al Tayer: 24 trains deployed in morning peak, 29 trains in evening peak

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will open next Friday 11 March, Jebel Ali Station; the terminal station on the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, raising the total number of stations opened to 27 stations. The Station, the sole at-Grade station on the line, measures about 132 meters in length and 29 meters in width and has a total capacity of handling 11 thousand passengers per her per direction.

Commenting on the occasion, H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority, said: “The Jebel Ali Station is mainly intended to serve Jebel Ali area and in particular the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) North and South as well as Jebel Ali Port. Jebel Ali Industrial Area is the home of about 6600 companies employing about 129 thousand employees and the number of staff accommodated within JAFZA is in the order of 40 thousand employees.

“As Jebel Ali Station is located at the terminal point of the Red Line, the rail track of trains in operation is extended by 9 km to reach 53 km. RTA will operate 27 trains in the morning peak hours and 29 trains in the evening peak hours while the interval between train services (headway) will range from 6 to 8 minutes in the morning peak period, and from 5 to 6 minutes in the evening peak period.

“Through Serco Co., the Metro operator, RTA has finalized all technical trail runs of the metro including the testing of communication systems, automatic operation systems, power feed, air-conditioning, on-board electronic devices, lighting systems and the integration and interfacing of all various rail subsystems and components. RTA has also completed the training of front-end and customer service employees at the stations on various systems and the staff have already been deployed at the station following the completion of intensive training courses in customer service, implementation of regulations and procedures set out by the RTA for preserving the facilities of the project, and law enforcement against offenders,” added Al Tayer.
Metro Riders

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director stated the metro ridership in last January and February topped 9.3 millions: 4.7 million passengers in January (31 days), and 4.6 million passengers in February (28 days). In 2010 the metro has lifted 38.888 million passengers and the current daily average of the metro ridership is in the order of 149 thousand persons, according to the statements revealed by RTA Statistics Office.