UAE | Traffic and Transport
New walkway to link Metro to Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall in 2013
820-metre glass pathway will have 10 travellators
- Image Credit: Supplied
- An artist’s impression of The Dubai Mall Metro Link. The project is expected to be completed by 2013, giving people direct access to the mall without having to take buses or other forms of transport.
Dubai: Going to Dubai Mall via the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station might just be another walk in the park by 2013 as plans to build a pedestrian link in Downtown Dubai were announced on Tuesday.
An 820-metre-long glass pedestrian link will conveniently connect mall-goers using Dubai Metro to Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping and entertainment destination, and the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Called ‘The Dubai Mall Metro Link,' the project is considered one of the longest pedestrian walkways, only eight metres short of the Burj Khalifa which stands at 828 metres above ground. The pedestrian walkway, scheduled to be operational by 2013, is expected to reduce vehicular traffic within the vicinity of Dubai Mall.
"The Dubai Mall is one of the most visited tourist, retail and leisure destinations in the world. While the mall offers covered parking for over 14,000 vehicles, we have been evaluating various alternatives to further streamline visitor traffic and add to their convenience," Mohammad Al Abbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, said.
"The Dubai Mall Metro Link will contribute to the sustainable transport initiatives developed by the Dubai Government. It has been designed to accommodate maximum visitor traffic to Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and to Downtown Dubai, especially during the festive season," he added.
More convenience
The Dubai Mall Metro Link, to be constructed by Dutco, will have five travellators in each direction — ten in all — each 70 to 120m long and 1.4m wide. The travellators can carry more than 13,500 people per hour at its peak capacity. They will run at an average speed of 0.5m per second. A central walkway will give additional space for pedestrian use.
Pedestrians, meanwhile, welcomed the project.
"I believe this pedestrian walkway will give more convenience not only to mall-goers and tourists but also to the many people who work in Dubai Mall," Mia Romasanta, who has been working at Dubai Mall Medical Centre for two years, told Gulf News. "With the pedestrian walkway, we can save the bus fare that we pay as extra just to get from the Metro to the mall. It also saves us time because the bus usually takes a longer route."
Comments (24)
|
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Latest news
- Court rejects absent doctor's written plea
- Offers pour in to help Abu Dhabi street dweller
- Top diplomats to visit Kenyan woman in hospital
- Elephant footprints found in UAE desert
- Seven arrested over cable theft
- Baby one of 12 kids given free heart surgery
- Palm trees uprooted after weevil strikes
- Abu Dhabi launches online e-sick leave system
- Ajman groceries banned from selling cigarettes
- When Mammoth elephants walked in Abu Dhabi
- Owners of Trident Grand Residence go to court
- Airport worker critical after burn injury
- ‘Class A' fake notes stump officials
- Halal wine anyone?
- Water filter sales scam exposed
Community Reports
-
Heavy vehicles an emissions hazard
Tighter controls needed to protect health and environment
-
Reaffirm your green values: Say no to plastic
Disposable plastic is a myth and hence it's imperative that anti-pollution campaigns are able to get more people to stop using it altogether
-
Appreciation for honesty
A Dubai taxi driver shows the strength of his values by returning a lost wallet to its owner
-
Rubbish issue needs to be taken care of
A reader raises the problem of garbage bins that are blocking Salam Street in Abu Dhabi, creating a foul smell and tarnishing the image of the area






