Metro Blue Line to facilitate check-in for city’s airports

“A part of the Blue Line will provide a direct link between the Dubai International Airport and the under construction airport at Jebel Ali.

“For this part of the line, there will be an express passenger and a freight train that will run parallel to the community train (the Red and Green Lines),” Abdul Majid Al Khaja, Director of RTA’s Metro Department, explained.

“Passengers will be able to complete the check-in procedure for air travel at any of the stations on this dedicated part of the Blue Line, and save a lot of time and effort. The freight train is meant to take in the baggage of passengers checking in at the stations,” Al Khaja said. He clarified that the freight train would only be transporting baggage and is not a goods carrier or a cargo service.

According to Al Khaja, the express service would work as a transit point for the two international airports and would be distinguished by its high speed.

He said that although the authority is yet to design the system, it was clear that both the trains (passenger and freight) cannot run on the same line due to the express nature of the service. The line would also have to be separate from the community trains plying on the Red and Green Lines, he said.

“Currently, we are preparing the terms of reference for this part of the Metro, and in the new future we will tender it and appoint a consultant to start the design phase,” Al Khaja said.

He added that the service would be functional by 2011. Although work on the Dubai Metro began with the groundbreaking ceremony of the project late last month, Al Khaja said that the piers and pylons of the via duct on which the metro would run in some parts of the city, would be visible early next year. Work on these aspects of the project, he revealed, is expected to start within the next couple of months.

“Except for the three underground metro stations in Al Rigga, Port Saeed, and Bur Juman, the public will feel no impact of the project’s execution on the traffic situation. The construction of the viaduct especially will not be felt on Dubai roads because the space for these structures is separate and away from the thoroughfare,” Al Khaja said. Even in case of the mentioned underground stations, he said that diversions will be set up after a careful study is conducted by the Roads and Traffic Department, so that the roads’ artery’s respective capacities are not affected.