Dubai lines up for metro rail
January 15 Dubai Municipality opens the tender for the Dubai Metro project, a 70km two-line, light mass transit system.
The Mitsubishi-led Dubai Rapid Link consortium won the bid for the Dh12.5 billion project, construction of which will take seven years. The first phase will open in 2009 and the second, three years later.
A 50km ?Red Line' will link Rashidiya to the Jebel Ali Port and a second 19.2km ?Green Line' will serve the old city and areas on the eastern side of Dubai Creek, including two terminals at Dubai International Airport.
Al Ittihad Square and BurJuman will be the transfer stations between the two lines.
The system will have 55 stations, 18km of tunnels, 51 km of viaduct and a major depot. The fleet size will be over 100 train sets. The fully operational system will have the capacity to carry 1.2 million passengers daily.
