Media ININ Economy We Trust
31-03-2019 Media in\ Dubai
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed an extension contract for operation and maintenance of the Dubai Metro with Sirco UK Limited until September 2021, worth AED 680 million, equivalent to £ 140 million.
The new contract includes the operation and maintenance of the 2020 route, which includes the extension of the red line to the 1520 km Expo 2020 site, including 7 stations, including 5 overhead stations and two underground stations, which are expected to be operational in February 2020.
The Dubai Metro network is currently 75 km long and will rise to 90 km with the completion of the “Path 2020” and the network accommodates more than 120 trains at peak hours.
The contract was signed by HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Serco is represented by HE Mr. Robert Soms, Chief Executive Officer of Serco Group, in the presence of Baroness Rona Farhead, British Minister of Trade and Export Promotion and HE Patrick Moody, UK Ambassador to the UAE.
Al Tayer said that Serco has achieved high performance in the operation of the Dubai Metro with a 99.9 per cent availability rate, a 99.8 per cent uptime and a record 204 million flights in 2018. That the provision of the RTA to the latest technologies in the field of operation of trains contributed to the achievement of these indicators.
He added that under the contract, the company will provide operation and maintenance services for the Dubai Metro with red and green lines, as well as “Track 2020”, which includes the extension of the red line of the Expo site and all the assets of the metro system including trains, railways and stations as well as the provision of high-quality passenger services compatible with changing requirements Daily in the number of passengers on the metro network.
He pointed out that the contract also includes the operation and maintenance of the tariff system for Dubai Metro and the collection of revenues from the sale and packaging of Nol cards in metro stations in addition to providing jobs for citizens and training and achieving a certain percentage of Emiratisation. And the maintenance of railway systems, which is one of the new areas in the region.
He explained that assigning the operation and maintenance of the Dubai Metro to specialized international companies is due to several reasons, the most important of which is that these tasks require expertise and know how to schedule the work of the metro lines in addition to the experience in all the technical and mechanical systems specialized on which the metro system in operation as well as the management experience required for excellent operation Of the system.
He pointed out that the allocation of operation and maintenance of specialized companies reduces the cost of operation and maintenance of the metro by taking advantage of the high efficiency of performance for private companies, especially in the provision of quality services at lower costs and the continuous improvement and application of the principles of value engineering to reduce the operating costs and the full Its main tasks in the preparation of legislation and supervision of implementation and compliance and supervision of major projects.
“This contract reinforces the confidence that RTA has given the company to continue to provide world-class services in safety, performance and customer service, providing further support for growth opportunities in the Middle East region,” said Sommo Group Chief Executive Officer Robert Soms.
