A committee overseeing the Dubai Light Rail Transport system met for the first time yesterday to invite companies to submit tenders. They also announced programmes for regulating and enhancing mass transit based on a series of recent studies.
The Higher Supervising Committee of the Dubai Light Rail Transport project met at the municipality headquarters and gave an insight into the role it will play in the huge transport project.
The body has the task of moulding the project by preparing budgets and specifying designs, plans and technical specifications. They will also study the current laws governing mass transit and suggest amendments, to meet the project's objectives.
The higher committee will also undertake full administrative, financial and technical supervision of the project's various phases.
Meanwhile, a preliminary study suggests that costs would increase by Dh2.1 billion if the so-called Green Line of the rail link is extended to serve Dubai Festival City.
The noise-free and environmentally-friendly system will have two lines the first, called the Red Line, will stretch for 50km from the Sharjah border to Jebel Ali.
There will be 35 stations comprising 29 elevated platforms and underground stops.
The second, the Green Line, will be 19km long, running from Rashidiya Bus Station to the Dubai Healthcare City. It will comprise 22 stations of which five will be elevated and 17 underground.
The committee is chaired by Qasim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality, and consists of six members who represent local government departments and the UAE University.
The meeting was attended by Engineer Abdullah Al Sayed Mohammed Al Hashmi, Engineer Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, (both from Dubai Municipality) Saeed Mohammed Al Sharid (Dubai Transport Corporation), Major General Sharafuddin Al Sayed Mohammed Hussein (Dubai Police), Engineer Nasser Ahmed Saeed (Dubai Municipality), and Dr Khalifa Mohammed Hareb (UAE University).
The municipality will work out plans for the lines, stations, power and communication systems over the next 18 months.
The Dh15 billion project will be implemented in two phases, with the first expected to open by June 2010 and the second by May 2013.
Gulf News
