79 trains serviced, cleaned every 3 days: Al Tayer

79 trains serviced, cleaned every 3 days: Al Tayer

The Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), reiterated RTA's commitment to the highest safety & security standards for the sake of Dubai Metro users from the moment they enter the station till they leave it in the context of efforts made to realize RTA's vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All.
Al Tayer made this statement during a visit to inspect the work progress in the Metro Depot at Al Rashidya where the metro carriages are being serviced and cleaned. Accompanying Al Tayer in the visit were the Director of Rail Operation Ramadan Abdullah, Director of Rail Maintenance Ali bin Abdul Qadir, and several managers & engineers.

During the tour, Al Tayer was briefed by Adnan Al Hamadi about the methodology and mechanism adopted in the workshop in carrying out the maintenance & cleaning works of 79 trains. At the metro depot at Al Rashidya, maintenance and cleaning works of 62 trains shuttling on the Red Line are being carried out, and the workshop also carries maintenance & cleaning works for the 17 trains deployed on the Green Line.
Briefing H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Al Hammadi said: "All trains are subjected to maintenance works every three days. Works carried out include visual inspection of the rail carriages from the inside and outside, but a specific technical inspection is carried out for carriages every three months, six months and one year. As to washing & cleaning, the trains are being washed from the outside once every three days while the internal cleaning of trains is done every day. Upon the end of each train journey, workers carry out express cleaning works of carriages. Workers deployed at the Al Rashidiya Depot on the Red Line include 3 engineers, 30 technicians, 6 team heads, and 15 engineers & technicians distributed at the stations of the Red Line.

Al Tayer made a tour to inspect various sections of the Depot where trains maintenance & cleaning is done. Facilities in place include a number of giant gantries and advanced electronic systems enabling the staff to handle the maintenance of 3 trains at a time. The Depot is fitted with air-conditioners, and an advanced fire-fighting system. Al Tayer reviewed the safety aspects in place, and the provision of security & safety to the staff at the highest global standards. He directed the officials to qualify Emiratis to join the Dubai Metro, particularly in sophisticated technical specialties, and map out a timeline for training them to be competent enough to operate & maintain trains over the next years.

The Dubai Metro has three depots for maintaining and cleaning of trains; two depots on the Red Line at Al Rashidiya and Jebel Ali, and one on the Green Line at Al Qusais. Besides the workshop, Al Rashidiya Depot comprises the Main Rail Operations Control Center; which is the watchful eye on the rolling stock throughout the day to ensure the safety of users. Through this Center, it is possible to exercise full control of the daily metro operations on both the Red and Green Lines. Each line has a set of separate monitoring screens in addition to a giant display monitor for both lines. There are 37 separate screens for the Red Line and 28 separate screens for the Green Line. The Center also enables controlling, supervising and monitoring the movement of trains as well as associated systems through supervising the performance of the automatic train movement systems, communication systems, electrical transformers, and power feed systems for trains and stations. The Center has several sections run by highly qualified technical staffs who attend to the implementation of the metro operation protocols, safe train operation, management of emergency cases, and taking correct decisions to overcome difficulties. Through the Center, it will be possible to communicate with passengers through on board communication systems and at the Control Room in emergency cases.

The Rail Control Center attends to the provision and management of passenger information system, management of train access to the track, controlling the train operation and stopping, monitoring the environment control, and monitoring the electrical network, including power feed for trains and stations. It also enables overseeing the safety systems such as firefighting systems, ventilation systems in the tunnel, stations and trains, air-conditioning system of trains, and ensuring the safety of doors, brakes, and engines in each train separately.