Traffic authorities' predictions of 23,000 passengers per hour riding the proposed Dubai Metro may seem a bit optimistic, given Dubai's love for cars.
But Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said a lot of work has gone into figuring out how to boost the number of riders when the new Red Line opens in September 2009.
A phalanx of strategy sessions and a number of feasibility studies on riders were conducted to find the best locations for passenger stations along Shaikh Zayed Road to provide safe and convenient access to the light rail service that will change Dubai's traffic landscape. According to Al Tayer, backed by fares that are awaiting approval "from the legal department (they will be very cheap)," the new stations are sure to be a hit with the public.
The RTA announced that it had raised Dh1.8 billion this week through naming rights at Metro stations across the city.
"There was a feasibility study done for the number of riders for each station. We have designed this project for a 100-year time-frame; We calculated the number of riders at each station. Every station has a catchment area and we have enough number of riders to open these stations," he said. "We are 100 per cent confident that the trains will be full."
To further encourage Dubai residents to use public transport, Al Tayer said the RTA is ramping up for a major public campaign. "We are starting a new campaign for the Metro next month or the month after. It will be a very long-term campaign to attract people to the Metro," Al Tayer said.
He said once riders see how strategically placed the 29 metro stations are the new light-rail project will become highly popular.
