In the year 1997, the municipality of Dubai saw a great need for a modern railway system to ease congestion on the major roads and mitigate pressures on the existing infrastructure. The groundwork engineering contract was awarded to Systra and the Dubai Rail Link (DURL), which entails four major companies led by Japan’s Mitsubishi. The initial scheme was to build two lines of high-tech driverless swift transport composition. In September 2009, the municipality inaugurated the first urban metro network in the Gulf’s Arab States. Certainly, the intended purpose was met, since the system alleviated the daily strain of road commuters who were mainly workers in the emirates. According to facts release by the authorities, over 1.7 million people were recorded to have used the metro system in its first month of functioning. The Red Line section was the first to be completed by April 2010, and the average travelers on this segment alone surpass 180,000 passengers on a daily basis. The Green Line which started became operational in September 2011, has recorded passenger usage of up to 100, 000 people daily. Aggressive property development, financial services, air transport and tourism Dubai has a rapid growing population which is expected to trigger heavy traffic congestion. It is estimated that by 2017, the population will reach the three million mark as the increase has been consistent citing the annual rise of 6.4%. In view of these facts, when the metro system will be fully operational, approximately 1.2 million passengers or about 355 million people will use the system each day. Consequently, the DURL is also negotiating with multi-international firms to acquire brand-rights and advertisements in view of increasing the metro revenues. In the world stage, the Dubai metro spans at 74.69 km and as the longest driverless system which by 2012, was entered in the Guinness World Records. Evidently, the massive work carried out on the metro system is spectacular, since the metro tracks at no point cross highways, though there are feeder services for the buses and taxis to ease inconveniences at some points. There are also underground constructions that never affected the existing buildings. There also exists elevated train viaducts designed to augment the urban structural designs along the course (Khaleej Times1).
Work cites
Khaleej Times. Dubai in Guinness for Longest Driverless Metro 22 Feb. 2006. Web. 19 Oct.2013.
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