Dubai: As part of the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) plan to expand the public transport services in Dubai, the fleet of trains and buses will enlarge significantly before Expo 2020, RTA announced on Wednesday.
The number of trains will increase to cater to the growing popularity of the metro as well as serving the extension of the Red Line on Route 2020.
The expansion plan will also see the bus network reaching 16 new districts, while services are in for improvement in 19 other districts.
“The RTA is continuing with its efforts to make public transport means the ideal choice of people in Dubai in their daily mobility, be it for work or fun. The future plan envisages further improvements of the infrastructure and the efficiency of mass transit systems, in addition to the offering of broader smart services to the public,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA.
He added: “Among the key mass transit projects to be undertaken over the next five years is Route 2020, and procuring additional trains to cope with the anticipated growth of metro riders up to 2020 and help improve passenger services.”
Another focus area will be the marine transit network, which will witness significant growth with the launch of the Dubai Water Canal linking the Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf.
RTA made the announcement ahead of the sixth Public Transport Day on Sunday, coinciding with RTA’s 10th anniversary.
“The Public Transport Day has succeeded in realising its objectives of showcasing the role of Dubai in supporting efforts made to improve the environment, achieve sustainable development, encourage people to use public transport means, and raise public transport ridership levels by educating users about the benefits of public transport,” he said.
Public Transport Day features a wide participation of public entities, academic institutions and private organisations. A diverse array of events and contests have been planned to celebrate the occasion including free health check ups, blood donation drive and quiz contests.
Most frequent commuters will walk away with mega prizes including a 100gm gold bar.
The activities will also include multi-discipline outdoor sports competitions at Burj Plaza and a fair of healthy diets.
RTA aims to push the share of public transport in the movement of people to 20 per cent by 2020. The share has soared from 6 per cent in 2006 to 14 per cent in 2014.
Last year, Dubai’s public transport means carried 531 million riders. The average daily ridership of public transport means in Dubai clocked 1.475 million riders compared with 1.3 million riders in 2013.
