RTA signs AED10.6bn contract for Route 2020 Project

 

Dubai / WAM

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has officially awarded an AED10.6 billion contract of Route 2020 Project to Expolink, a consortium of French, Spanish and Turkish companies.
The contract covers the extension of the Red Line of Dubai Metro of 15kms from Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station to the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as the supply of 50 trains.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors. signed the contract on behalf of RTA, while the Expolink consortium was represented by Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom, Jose Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman and CEO of ACCIONA, and Kemal Guleryuz, Chairman and CEO of Gulermack.
Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA Rail Agency, was also present during the signing.
The extended line spanning 15km includes an 11.8 km viaduct, and a 3.2 km underground track. The project encompasses seven stations including a transfer station with the Red Line, Expo Station, three elevated stations, and two underground stations.
As per the contract, Alstom will supply 50 trains, 15 of them for serving the Expo, and 35 for upgrading the service of the Dubai Metro. The company will also cater to electromechanical works. Acciona and Gulermack will cater to civil works, while the French Thales Group will attend to the technological systems, explained Al Tayer.
The construction works in the project have been started after laying the foundation stone last September. The consortium is currently undertaking soil analysis, and sourcing of NOCs. Drilling work for laying pillars will commence before the end of this year. The test run of the newly extended line is anticipated to start in the final quarter of 2019, and the official service is scheduled for launch during the first quarter of 2020, specifically on 20th May, five months before the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, he added.
“We are honoured to be awarded another contract by the RTA illustrating its continuous trust in Alstom after the delivery of the Dubai tramway. With the Expo 2020 Dubai, the city and its transportation system will be in the spotlight as modern, connected, and focussed on the future. Alongside Acciona and Gulermack, we will be fully dedicated to making this project a success and provide a metro system that is the most comfortable, reliable and safe,” Poupart-Lafarge said.

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend