Dubai: Leadership, decision making, cutting out bureaucratic red tape, open-door policy and cultural norms are among the main factors that are leading to completion of the Dubai Metro in record time and on schedule.
"Clear vision and all out support from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is the leading force encouraging us to go ahead with the Metro project and all its challenges," said Abdul Majid Al Khaja, Chief Executive Officer of the Rail Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), which is carrying out the first Metro project in the Gulf region.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Al Khaja revealed the secret behind the fast-paced Metro work comprising about 75 km of track - the longest metro lines in the world - being built at a cost of Dh15.5 billion within a record time of 49 months.
Al Khaja said any issue or problem facing the Metro work is solved the same day - thanks to the team-work and full support from Shaikh Mohammad. "We cannot afford to lag behind because the Metro project is linked to the fast developing and expanding Dubai city," he said.
He said the principle of accountability always plays a vital role. "If you perform, you stay, but your replacement is ready if you fail. You have no choice but to perform," he said.
In Dubai, he said, there is no chance to play around. "You are exposed immediately if you do not perform or are incapable of meeting a target," he said.
Al Khaja said that fast decision-making and availability of financial resources are also among the key factors behind the speedy Metro work.
He noted: "Tough decisions are taken without wasting time and pondering too much. If a decision is too tough to make, we talk to the RTA Chief Mattar Al Tayer and he immediately approaches Shaikh Mohammad if he feels that the decision should be made from the top.
"Extension of the Red and Green lines, relocation of a Dubai police colony for a Metro depot, availability of plenty of workers were some of the tough decisions but were taken immediately. Had it been another country, it would have taken months or years to make such decisions."
Al Khaja, who is one of the most popular CEOs at the RTA, said that the open door policy at the RTA helps solves a lot of problems.
"All of us work like a family. If I face any issues with the Metro construction work, I simply bring the matter to the table instead of writing official letters and the action is taken to remove the deadlock. "Also, cultural norms in the UAE society help us solve a lot of problems. We solve issues just by meeting each other. In case, there is any issue with any other department, I simply go to the officials concerned. The matter is resolved after I walked into their offices because you cannot say 'no' if someone walks into your office."
Al Khaja also spoke highly about his team. "People in my team are committed, honest and clean. We don't have even a single incident of bribery in the Rail agency. Since our contractors and consultants know about this, they always come up with workable solutions and plans otherwise they are not entertained."
A composed and ever- smiling Al Khaja said that they also learn from their mistakes. "We were just a group of UAE nationals at the beginning of the project in 2005 and now we are proud to be a group of competent Emiratis, who can challenge any one in our field and are even cap-able of providing consultation to others on similar projects," he said.
Al Khaja believes there is a solution to every issue. "We have a policy of 'thinking outside the box' while we tackle any issue hindering our metro project. We don't use rules and regulations to create hindrances but apply them to overcome problems."
The Metro CEO also talked about the Metro Forum, which comprises top officials from all agencies involved in the Dubai Metro project.
"Members of the Dubai Metro Forum including officials from our contracting and consulting agencies from Japan, France and the US, meet every three months to discuss any deadlocks in the work. We are not into arbitration, court cases or any other problems with our partners. We need win-win situations for such a massive project and we support each other well by discussing and solving all issues on the table without affecting our construction work," Al Khaja said.
