The Rail Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority announced that a prototype of the Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) for the Dubai Metro has been installed in Union Square for demonstration and approval. During this demonstration, RTA will ensure the design of the PSD is in accordance with the contract specifications and international standards. The Platform Screen Doors for the Dubai Metro are currently being manufactured in the UK by Westinghouse.
There will be 28 PSDs on each station. The PSD is equipped with an intelligent control system to prevent any unsafe operation and is equipped with a sophisticated system to detect any obstacle or obstruction and ensure safe reaction.
The PSDs create a full height barrier between the station floor and the ceiling of the platform when closed therefore improving passenger safety, enabling efficient climatic control of a platform environment, suppressing a high level of train noise, creating a cleaner platform environment and improving passenger boarding/disembarkation flow.
Mr. Adnan Al Hammadi, Director of Rail Projects Construction said: "Platform screen doors fitted to metro station platforms provide a safe barrier between passengers and the track. The doors are opened automatically by sophisticated interface control electronics which communicate between the approaching train, the Automatic Train Control System and systems within the door architecture. The train control system ensures that the train stops in the correct position in which platform doors and train doors are aligned. Both sets of doors open simultaneously. When passengers are safely on board the train all doors are closed in precise harmony with those on the platform."
"This barrier provides a number of important benefits to both passengers and operators by preventing access or falling on the electrified track. In addition, doors make the platform environment cleaner and quieter, "he added. Platform screen doors can reduce air-conditioning and ventilation costs for operators by isolating the platforms from the train, track, and tunnels."
Platform screen doors can reduce boarding times at stations because passengers know exactly where to stand on the platform. This can improve operation and service.
Metro Systems around the world that have no PSDs often experienced fatal incidents of passengers falling on the track accidentally or deliberately. The importance of PSDs from safety perspective is being regarded by railway industries as the international best practice.
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© Press Release 2008
