ON JULY 26 the Dubai Rapid Link consortium confirmed that it had received the formal order from the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority for construction of the second phase of the municipality’s automated metro network.
Valued at 4bn dirhams, the deal forms an option on the 12·45bn dirhams Phase I contract signed on May 29 2005 (RG 7.05 p391). Work on the second phase was expected to start 20 months after Phase I, for completion in 35 months.
Phase II covers the 18 km Green Line linking Dubai Airport Free Zone and Healthcare City, serving Deira, Bur, Dubai and Rashidiya. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corp will be responsible for the rail elements, including trackwork, power supplies, rolling stock and the automatic train control systems. Obayashi Corp, Kajima and Yapi Merkezi will be responsible for civil works.
The Green Line will interchange at two stations with the 52 km Red Line from Dubai International Airport to Jebel Ali Port, on which civil engineering work began in August 2005 for a planned opening in September 2009.
