Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that the Dubai Investment Park and Expo 2020 stations on Dubai Metro Route 2020 network, which runs from Al Rashidiya Station on the Red Line to Expo 2020 Station, would be opened on June 1. 

 

The opening of these two new stations comes six months after the opening of Route 2020, which launched its maiden journey on January 1 with four stations namely Jebel Ali (a transfer station on the Red Line), The Gardens, The Discovery Gardens, and Al Furjan.

 

A French-Japanese consortium of Keolis, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, and Mitsubishi Corporation, will officially take over the operation and maintenance of the Dubai Metro and the operation of the Dubai Tram as of September 8 for 15 years (9 basic years renewable to further six years).

 

During the current preparatory period, the consortium will engage in full coordination with the current operator in carrying out tasks to ensure a high level of safety for network users. 

 

The process warrants seamless monitoring of the safety of the metro and tram systems, improving the process and ensuring full integration between the metro and tram as well as other transit means. It will also cater to the smooth transfer of employees of the current operator to the new operator.

 

Since the start of operations, Route 2020 has carried out 27,043 journeys: 6,938 journeys in January, 6,287 journeys in February, 6,986 journeys in March, and 6,832 journeys in April.

 

"From June 1, journeys of Red Line will shuttle directly between Al Rashidiya and Expo 2020 Station. Jebel Ali Station will be an interchange station for those heading to or coming from UAE Exchange Station," said Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA.

 

"Metro service to Expo 2020 Station will be available only to those entitled to access the site of Expo until its official public opening on October 1. By that time, the public can use the metro service to Expo. The opening of the Jumeirah Golf Estates Station will coincide with the opening of Expo," he stated.

 

Al Tayer pointed out that the opening of the two stations on Route 2020 concurs with the start of the countdown of Dubai’s hosting of Expo 2020. 

 

"The travel time between Al Rashidiya and Expo Stations will be 1 hour and 14 minutes. The service frequency will be 2 minutes and 38 seconds during peak time at a rate of 24 trains per hour per direction, and a capacity of 16,000 riders per hour per direction," he noted. 

 

"The travel time between Jebel Ali Station and the UAE Exchange Station will be 11 minutes and 42 seconds, with a constant service frequency of 7 minutes and 30 seconds," said Al Tayer.

 

According to him, the new operator of the Dubai Metro (consortium of Keolis, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, and Mitsubishi Corporation) will shortly be engaged in the operation of Dubai Metro processes in full coordination with the current operator (Serco). 

The step will pave the way for the smooth transfer of the metro operation and maintenance processes, and the Dubai Tram operation to the new operator as of September 8.

 

"RTA has designated 35 buses to serve Route 2020 stations to commute riders from and to the metro stations. Two bus routes will serve The Gardens Station, two routes will call at The Discovery Gardens Station and two routes will pass through Al Farjan Station, in addition to five bus routes moving through the Dubai Investment Park Station. The taxi service will be available at the operated stations," stated Al Tayer.

 

One underground station and one elevated station will be opened this June. The underground station is the Dubai Investment Park Station. It spans 27,000 sq m in area and extends 226 m in length. It can serve 13,899 riders per hour during peak times and 250,000 riders per day.

 

"The elevated station is the iconic Expo 2020 Station. It is the terminal station of Route 2020 that mainly serves visitors of Expo. It has a unique plane-wing design symbolising Dubai’s future drive towards innovation," observed the RTA chief. 

 

The station spans 18,800 sq m in area and extends 119 m in length. It can serve 29,000 riders per hour during peak times and 522,000 riders per day. 

 

The station has 3 boarding platforms and 3 routes. It is linked from the Eastern side with Expo and Expo Coex, and from the Western side with the Mall and the urban complex.

 

The station design serves the integration with public transit means with spaces for buses and taxis stands comprising 6 bus stands, 20 taxi stands and 4 parking slots for people of determination. It also offers 9 outlets of 264 sq m for commercial investment in addition to 4 spaces as points of sale.

 

The Jumeirah Golf Estates Station, which will start operation with the opening of Expo 2020, is the biggest underground metro station in the entire Dubai Metro network. It spans 28,700 square metres in area and extends 232 metres in length.-TradeArabia News Service