By Parag Deulgaonkar

Dubai will start work on designing of the Dubai Metro Green line extension from 2017, according to a senior Road and Transport Authority (RTA) official.

“The design of the Green line extension is expected to start by next year,” Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA's Rail Agency had told Emirates 24|7 on the sidelines of recently-held Middle East Rail conference.

“The Green Line extension will start from existing Al Jaddaf station to Academic City. It will feature a rail line of 20.6 kilometre and 11 stations both underground and above ground. This extension will serve urban developments such as Ras Al Khor industrial area, International City and Silicon Oasis,” he added.

The current Green Line has 18 stations of which 12 are elevated and six underground. Union Square and Khalid Bin Al Waleed underground stations are transfer stations where the Green and Red Lines junctions.

In March 2016, this website reported that construction will commence on the Route 2020 – the extension of Dubai Metro Red Line – as the RTA will be awarding the construction contract shortly.

“Work will commence soon as the route as it has to get ready before 2020. We are currently evaluating bids,” Younes had said.

In 2015, average daily ridership of public transport means in Dubai was about 1.5 million riders compared with 1.475 million in 2014 and about 1.3 million in 2013. The metro Red and Green lines lifted 178.647 million riders compared with 164.307 million riders in 2014 and about 137.759 million in 2013.

In December 2015, Dubai set aside Dh16.6 billion for infrastructure, transport and economics – an increase of Dh1.8bn – as part of its 2016 budget, which will boost development activity. The emirate aims to extend the total length of the Metro to 110 kilometres by 2020.

Alpen Capital report on “GCC Construction Report” has, in fact, put the Dubai Metro project by far the biggest project to be undertaken in the country at the cost of $14.35 billion (Dh52.66 billion) with a targeted completion in 2030.

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