The Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has launched the tunnel drilling works in the tunnel of the Dubai’s Route 2020 project. The new line extends Metro Red Line by 15 km, from Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station, to the site of Expo 2020. 11.8 km of the new line will be elevated and 3.2 km will be underground track. Expo 2020 will have 7 stations, including an interchange station, one station at Expo site, 3 elevated stations and 2 underground stations.
The tunnel starts at the Discovery Gardens and stretchs 3.2 km up to The Green Community. It features depths ranging from 12.5 to 36 metres.
Al Tayer, the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA said that the giant tunnel boring machine, named Al Wugeisha Expo 2020, will cross the underground station near Jumeirah Golf Estates in January next year. In December 2018, all tunnel drilling works will be completed.
The first of the new Dubai Metro train will arrive in July 2018, and construction works for the metro viaducts will be completed in November next year.
All railway works of Route 2020 will be completed in July 2019, and the trial run of the metro will start in February 2020. The ridership of the Route is expected to hit 125 thousand riders per day and will constantly increase to up to 275 thousand riders per day by 2030.
This summer, Alstom presented to a delegation of RTA, headed by the Chairman the mock-up of the Metropolis trains for the Route 2020 project in Coignères in Paris. Alstom will provide and integrate the whole metro system including 50 Metropolis trainsets, power supply, communication, automatic fare control, track works, platform screen doors and a three-year warranty on the whole system.
In 2016, the Alstom-led consortium ExpoLink, also composed of Acciona and Gulermak, has signed a contract with RTA to design and build the Expo 2020 Route and upgrade the system of the existing line. The total value of the project was EUR 2.6 billion, of which Alstom’s share represents half and the civil works, led by Acciona including Gulermark represent the other half.
Share on:
