Dubai Metro Short Distance Tests from Next Month

Dubai, Mar 25: Full test runs of the Dubai Metro will begin from January next year, a top official from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said. However the authority will conduct short distance tests on the Jebel Ali portion of track from as early as next month for a distance of 1.5 kilometres.

Abdul Majeed Al Khaja, chief of the Metro Rail Agency added that construction work  is going smoothly. “We are optimistic that tests will be on time and the Metro will begin operations from September 2009,” said Khaja. He said test runs will be conducted on the red line connecting Jebel Ali and Rashidiya.

Meanwhile, Matter Al Tayer, head of the RTA, spoke about the Metro fare structure, saying it would cost less than using Salik gates.  “We want people to use the metro rail for commuting every day. The fare would be economical and easy for all pockets. It would be much easier than Salik,” he said.

Dubai Metro: A new world lies beneath your feet

The buzzword for the Dubai Metro project is now "9-9-9", referring to the completion date of the first phase - the Red Line - which is fast approaching. The line is set to start operation on September 9, 2009.

The Dh15.5 billion Dubai Metro Project, the world's largest automated - and thus driverless - metro system, is in the 31st month of its construction out of a total 49 months.

"We are right on schedule and have achieved a number of milestones ahead of time," said Engineer Adnan Ahmad Al Hammadi, Director of the Dubai Metro Construction Department at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). "People in Dubai will see the trains running on the test track on Shaikh Zayed Road by the end of April," Al Hammadi said.

Some of the upcoming milestones are finishing of underground stations, completion of elevated stations and the beginning of construction work on the Green Line tunnels. Two more power stations will be commissioned, metal track laid for trains and pedestrian bridges at all stations will be built.

One of the major milestones achieved so far is the completion of tunnelling work for the underground portion of the Red Line. The challenging task consisted of boring the tunnel under Dubai Creek and the Dnata building.

The first main power station became operational on schedule early this year, and will provide electricity to the Red Line.

Mammoth work on Dubai Metro chugs on

Residents and tourists in Dubai will have to wait 18 months to ride the trains, with work on the Dubai Metro entering its 31st month - out of 49 total - of construction.

Around 25,000 people, from engineers to labourers, are busy day and night to deliver the project on schedule to meet the September 9, 2009 deadline to start operation.

Some 72 per cent of the work on the 52.1km Red Line, which runs from Al Qusais to Jebel Ali, and 12 per cent of the work on the Green Line, which runs from Rashidiya to Jaddaf along the Dubai Creek, has been completed. The Dh15.5 billion Dubai Metro Project-the world's largest automated driverless metro system, started in October 2005.

A map of the Red and Green Lines has also been created to explain the route of the Metro and inform residents about the locations of stations.

All stations will have facilities such as parking, taxi lay-bys, and public transport links to other modes of transport to ensure smooth journeys for all.