Business | Construction
Nakheel appoints Singapore firm to operate Palm Jumeirah rail
Nakheel has appointed SMRT Engineering Pte Ltd (SMRTE), a subsidiary of Singapore-based SMRT Corporation Ltd, to prepare for the operation and maintenance of the 5.45 kilometre, Dh1.4 billion monorail on the Palm Jumeirah island.
- By Saifur Rahman, Business News Editor
- Published: 00:33 August 2, 2007
- Image Credit: Supplied Picture
- The Palm Monorail is the first to be constructed in the Middle East and it is being developed by a consortium led by Marubeni Corporation.
Dubai: Nakheel has appointed SMRT Engineering Pte Ltd (SMRTE), a subsidiary of Singapore-based SMRT Corporation Ltd, to prepare for the operation and maintenance of the 5.45 kilometre, Dh1.4 billion monorail on the Palm Jumeirah island.
"The monorail will serve about 20,000 day visitors, 30,000 Palm Jumeirah residents in addition to 25,000 hotel guests who will reside in 14,000 hotel rooms," a Nakheel spokesperson told Gulf News.
SMRT Corporation which operates Singapore's Bukit Panjang Light Rail System with 51 stations, was awarded the contract through competitive bidding by four parties.
"We will soon sign a contract with Nakheel on operations and maintenance of the 5.45-km monorail," Noelle Tang, an SMRTE spokesperson told Gulf News from Singapore.
The Palm Monorail is the first monorail to be constructed in the Middle East and it is being developed by a consortium led by the Marubeni Corporation. The monorail is a Hitachi-based system with a fully elevated, double-track system with four stations.
As of last month, Nakheel has laid more than 90 per cent of the 5.45km track. Construction, which began in March 2006, is scheduled to be completed in November 2008 to coincide with the opening of Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah.
"The mobilisation contract will see SMRTE evaluating and defining the operational procedures as well as recruiting and training staff for the smooth and efficient operation of The Palm Monorail, including the day-to-day running of the service, ticketing, on-going maintenance, and operation of the monorail's four stations," Nakheel said.
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