Reem: 150 countries confirmed their participation in Expo 2020

Al Tayer: Route 2020, Road Projects, 724 Buses and 2900 cabs to meet needs of Expo 2020

Bin Sulayem: Dubai Ports invested $15 b to revamp global ports

Roads and Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

Speakers in the key discussion panel of the Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) entitled: Expo 2020 Projects, stated that the UAE, represented by the Emirate of Dubai, will deliver an unparalleled edition in the history of Expo, thanks to the infrastructure of the UAE coupled with its extensive experience in international communication. During the legacy phase, the site of Expo will transform into a city attractive to companies operating in various sectors and complement the business cities and residential neighbourhood in Dubai and the UAE.

Her Excellency Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Office, said, “The UAE hosting of Expo, which coincides with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, will be a global platform for promoting cooperation with all people on earth. It celebrates the latest achievements and technologies aimed at improving the quality of living and protecting the planet. Mega events do have positive reflections all economic and cultural aspects and set an unconventional model for entrepreneurship.

“While undertaking all projects related to Expo, we place much emphasis on quality, safety and sustainability to ensure that all infrastructure, facilities and hospitalities are in place for the convenience of participants in the biggest worldwide event to make them feel safe and happy. There are more than 150 countries which have expressed their intention to participate; which is a good indicator of countries which will offer their expertise and culture to visitors to Expo.

“Providing all requisites and logistics of hosting Expo such as roads, transportation, electricity, water, telecommunications and security is quite a complicated business. We have therefore opted to adopt the model of tasking projects to our respective strategic partners. The RTA, for instance, will undertake the construction of roads and transportation networks, DEWA will provide electricity and water services, Dubai Police will attend to the security aspects and so on other entities like Dubai Municipality, DP .. etc. We have a specific plan, which is flexible and efficient, for delivering all projects, and we are aware of the start and completion of each project,” added Al Hashimi.

Higher Committee

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said, “Once Dubai won the bid to host Expo, we, in the RTA, set up an organisational chart for managing transportation needs of Expo. It includes a higher committee covering roads, public transport, metro, emergency response, crowds management and strategic relationships. We have also established a specialist PM office to integrate Expo projects and ensure timely delivery.

“The RTA has completed six studies and projects and currently undertakes projects costing about 15 billion dirhams. The Enterprise Command and Control Center, which has been opened by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, last May, is one of the key projects completed. It will assist the monitoring and management of all transit modes and crowds. The portfolio of projects currently underway includes Route 2020 for extending the Dubai Metro Red Line 15 km from Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station to the site of Expo 2020.

Road projects serving Expo comprise upgrading the intersections of the Airport Street to accommodate the traffic movement around Dubai International Airport, which will be completed in February 2018; meanwhile road projects around Expo will be completed in phases ending in February 2020. The RTA will also deploy 625 buses and 2,900 taxicabs or more to serve Expo, besides constructing 14 bus stations in different places in addition to 99 shuttle buses to commute riders within the site of Expo.

“At the time of charting out Expo projects plan, the RTA was keen to ensure that Expo projects will be sustainable and capable of meeting the present and future needs of areas served by Expo. For example, Route 2020 Plan ensured linking the route with key projects and locations of high population density up to 270 thousand persons. In addition, this route is designed in such a way that it can be extended in the future to serve Al Maktoum Airport, whenever necessary, and EXPO buses will be integrated within Dubai bus network after the event. Similarly, the taxis will be used to serve Dubai after EXPO 2020, and the EC3 is already being used today for ensuring the integration of our transportation systems and managing daily transport operations and events.

“The modern mobility modes and trends are the first of their kind such as Hyperloop, Flying Taxis and Self-Driving Vehicles are still in the beginning and needs a lot of iterations and experimentation to develop into safe and feasible mobility solutions. Adopting the “Agile Project Management” approach is the most suitable for managing innovation projects in many fields including mobility. Agile PM focuses on creating value using iteration. The RTA has established a Dedicated Project Management Office for Futuristic Projects which require a different set of skills than regular projects.

“PM as a profession will benefit immensely from Expo 2020 through testing new and innovative Project Management practices in a very progressive environment, incorporating the newly developed and implemented practices into the global standards of project and program management, integrating the experiences and learnings into research and academic programs, and establishing the UAE as a Project and Program Management Think Tank for future generations of professionals.

50m Units

Sultan bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World, said, “90% of shipments consigned to Dubai are received via ports. We receive about 50 m units every year, and this number is set to double in 2020 to more than 100 m units per annum. These changes dictate a huge challenge in boosting productivity to cope with the increasing number of shipments with the same he human resources. We have also got to expedite customs clearance as the time taken to inspect shipments account for 80% of the procedures of delivering them.

“Over the past decade, we have invested 15 b Dollars to upgrade the ports of Dubai, London, Brazil, Vietnam, Peru, Somalia, Mogadishu, Mozambique, Dakar, the Netherlands and others. With our portfolio of 77 land and sea stations spanning six continents, we are transferring our pioneering experience to the world, reflecting Dubai's remarkable success in developing and managing ports and free zones, and diffusing the innovation achieved by the Emirate in this field.

Henry Pobar Lafarge, President of Alstom, expressed his delight with Alstom's partnership with the Government of Dubai Expo through taking part in the construction of Route 2020 Project. “We are working with a team spirit to accomplish all the work on the project on time. We are keen to use modern technology such that Route 2020 will be an iconic landmark added to the galaxy of superb projects in Dubai.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2017