Gulf Construction Online - Thales wins metro upgrade contract

UAE Focus

Thales wins metro upgrade contract

01 April 2017

Thales has won a contract to upgrade Dubai Metro’s Red Line, one of the world’s longest driverless metro lines which will be used by the 25 million visitors expected at World Expo 2020.

The contract to deliver the systems’ extension and upgrade of the Red Line was awarded by Alstom (leader of Expolink consortium) and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Under a Dh10.6-billion ($2.9 billion) contract awarded by the RTA in June last year, the Alstom-led consortium Expolink – which also includes Acciona and Gulermak – is responsible for designing and building the 15-km extension of Red Line and upgrading the system of the existing line.

The extension, known as Route 2020, will include seven stations and will connect the existing network with the World Expo 2020 site.

It is due to enter into service in May 2020, five months before the Expo opens.

As per the contract, Thales will provide a state-of-the-art driverless train signalling technology as well as integrated supervision, telecommunications, passengers’ services, security and fare collection systems.

These innovative solutions are designed to optimise energy consumption, smooth passenger flows and improve IT connectivity.

Thales’s ground transportation solutions have been in service on the Dubai metro for the last seven years. These include driverless train signalling systems, the control centre, integrated supervision and communications, passenger services, security and revenue collection systems.

Thales has been selected again to improve urban mobility, provide the latest enhancements to the solutions already in service and equip 50 new trains provided by Expolink consortium.

One of the challenges will be to complete the project without disruption to the metro’s 20-hour-a-day operation on the existing line.