Mohammad inspects Metro work
MOHAMMAD BIN RASHID TOURS CONSTRUCTION SITE AS RTA ANNOUNCES 53% COMPLETION OF DUBAI METRO EXTENSION
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inspects the progress of Dubai Metro’s extension work, the construction site of Route 2020.
Infrastructure projects that are being implemented in Dubai, and across the UAE, support the country’s comprehensive development approach, while strengthening the economy, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as he inspected the progress of Dubai Metro’s extension work.
Touring the construction site of Route 2020 yesterday, Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE’s development approach is based on a high calibre model that considers the community’s happiness a strategic goal and at the forefront of its priorities.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, accompanied the VicePresident as he took note of work that will see a 15km extension of the Red Line, leading to the Dubai Expo 2020 venue.
As he toured the site, Shaikh Mohammad was briefed about the project’s progress by Mattar Al Tayer, director general, chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Covering seven stations, five elevated and two underground, work on Route 2020 is currently halfway through, with a completion rate of 53 per cent.
The total area of Route 2020’s elevated stations ranges from 8,100 and 8,800 square metres, while the size of underground stations will vary from 27,000 to 28,700 square metres.
The Dubai Expo 2020 station will occupy an area of 18,800 square metres, with a maximum capacity of handling 522,000 passengers per day.
Continuing with the design theme of existing Dubai Metro stations, the interior of the new stations is inspired by nature’s four elements: air, earth, fire and water.
Shaikh Mohammad said that earmarking 21 per cent of the Dubai government’s budget for infrastructure development highlights its importance. He hailed the efforts of the RTA in implementing projects to keep abreast with economic and social development goals of Dubai.
The Vice-President said that the RTA is carrying out these projects in a way that achieves the strategic goals of UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021. He pointed out that RTA projects are expected to have a positive effect, particularly the undertakings related to Dubai Expo 2020.
Shaikh Mohammad was also briefed about the elevated section of Route 2020, which is 83 per cent completed and is due to be ready by late November, while a set of new trains will also begin rolling in from November.
Later, Shaikh Mohammad was also briefed about an upgrade of Latifa Bint Hamdan and Umm Al Sheif roads, being developed at a cost of Dh800 million. The project links the Jumeirah area with Latifa Bint Hamdan Street and adjacent roads in Al Quoz, through a network of bridges.