Dubai Metro is
one of those projects in Dubai
(along with many others), which were discarded by the majority when they were
first introduced. Many questions were raised over the likelihood of a world
class metro service in this desert (even though, you have to think twice before
classifying Dubai
as a desert nowadays). Another question mark was placed on its projected
completion date, especially after the financial crisis reached Dubai. With the completion date (9th
September) nearing quickly, it is quite evident that the completed work is
going to be less than what was anticipated. Nevertheless, it will be opening up
on the said date, even if it's going to be partially operative. Dubai Roads and
Transport Authority (RTA) is running advertisement campaign to exert a pull on
more and more people to make it a success straightaway.
Dubai Metro is
a fully automated metro service with the lines spreading on more than 70 km, with
a total of 47 stations throughout Dubai.
The project is divided into five lines with two of them under construction (Red
line, Green line) while three are still in pipeline (Blue line, Yellow line
& Purple Line). The project will cost an estimated 15.5 billion Dirham,
which probably will exceed as the project move ahead (there is already an 80%
increase announced in the budget).
Traffic
congestion problems were getting increasingly troublesome for the people living
or working in Dubai.
Professional complained of spending hours on roads daily on their way to
offices and when going back home. News of terrible traffic jams coming from all
parts of the city was having a negative impact on Dubai real estate and tourism industry. Now
hopefully, Dubai Metro is going to take the edge off the problem as it is
expected to have 1.2 million passengers in a single day. With such a huge
number of passengers converting to this mode of transport, there will be a
definite relief for vehicles on road.
Some of the 29
stations we can expect to be operating at the time of launch are located at
Deira City Centre, Nakheel Harbor, Khalid bin Al Walid and Mall of the
Emirates. Dubai
authorities and other stake holders are anxiously waiting for the initial
response of public, the importance of this project is evident from the
statement of Director of Marketing at RTA, who said “This is probably the
biggest event in the history of Dubai,
it’s going to change the way people live”.
William King is the director of UAE Dubai Property & Dubai Real Estate Properties Portal:
http://www.bayut.com/ , ADCB UAE Abu
Dhabi & Dubai Business Directory: http://www.adcbuae.com, Daily Trader Wholesale
Directory: http://www.dailytrader.com and
Property & Real Estate Directory: http://www.propertydir.com.
He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has
been helping retailers, entrepreneurs and startups with their product sourcing,
promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements.
