Deputy Premier of Ukraine commends RTA's experience in completing Dubai Metro Project

Deputy Premier of Ukraine commends RTA's experience in completing Dubai Metro Project

The Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
His Excellency Kolesnikov Borys, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, praised the experience of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in completing the construction and operation of the Dubai Metro project in a record time besides upgrading the public transport systems and building an extensive network of roads & bridges to cater to the future needs of the Emirate.

"Accomplishing the Dubai Metro project, considering its length and number of stations, in less than 5 years exceeds what the Ukraine has achieved over 50 years!," commented Kolesnikov who he headed a senior Ukrainian delegation in a visit to the RTA where he was received by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.

At the outset of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine and the accompanying delegation which included a host of top metropolitan & regional municipal officials as well as city mayors in Ukraine. From the RTA also attended the CEO of Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim, CEO of Rail Agency Adnan Al Hammadi, and several directors.

Al Tayer gave the visiting Ukrainian delegation a glimpse about the Dubai Metro Project in which construction works started in July 2006. The project extends 75 km in both the Red and Green Lines and encompasses an elevated track stretching 58.7 km, and an underground track of 12.6 km in addition to a 3.3 km track at-grade on the Red Line only.
"The full journey on the Red Line takes 65 minutes, whereas it takes 35 minutes on the Green Line. Among the key design features of the Dubai Metro project is that it has a fully automated operation system, central air-conditioning system of passenger stations & attached footbridges, and auto doors to seclude passenger platforms from the rail track. The project features three maintenance & storage depots at Al Rashidiya, Al Qusais and Jebel Ali. Each train has a capacity to take 643 passengers and comprises two types of metro carriages; a Gold Class and Silver Class in addition to an exclusive compartment for women and children.

"There are 79 trains to run the service but currently 50 trains are deployed for the daily operations offering service at 4-6 minutes frequency (headway) during peak hours, and 6-8 minutes frequency during off-peak hours. The design capacity of the metro is about 26 thousand persons per hour per direction and headway of 90 seconds; however, the currently used capacity is in the order of 37%; which illustrates the potentials of the Dubai Metro to handle the projected passengers' growth in decades to come.
"The detailed designs and finishes of the metro stations & carriages have been meticulously carried out at deluxe standards. The metro stations feature a unique design combining modernity and grandeur of the UAE heritage. The exterior shape of station roofs emulates the shape of the shell; which depicts the close link of the UAE people with the sea & pearl diving legacy. The interior design features five different design themes; water, fire, air and earth in addition to a heritage-inspired design of Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba stations.

"Upon designing the Dubai Metro project, the RTA was keen on achieving multi-modal integration of various mass transit systems, and building three multi-level parking terminals connected to the metro stations at Al Qusais, Al Rashidiya and Nakheel Harbour & Tower which have a combined capacity of more than 8,000 vehicles. RTA also introduced the use of the unified fare card (Nol); an electronic fare system intended to ensure smooth mobility of all users of public transport systems spanning the Dubai Metro, public buses and the Water Bus as well as paid parking zones," added Al Tayer.
At the end of the meeting, H.E. Kolesnikov Borys, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine expressed his extreme admiration of the Dubai Metro and the affluent design of the metro stations & carriages; which contributed to attracting passengers from all spectrums of the community.

"The start of rail projects in Ukraine dates back to 50 years ago, and there are metro lines in three major cities but the government is currently constructing a metro system in a fourth city and 95% of metro tracks are underground. The visit aimed at benefiting from RTA's experience in constructing & operating the Dubai Metro, delivery of service to passengers and linking the metro stations with other transit modes as the Ukraine is braced for hosting The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship," he continued.
Finally, the two parties exchanged mementos where Al Tayer presented RTA trophy to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Caption:
Al Tayer receiving the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and accompanying delegation