Thales has won the contract to upgrade Dubai Metro’s Red Line, one of the world’s longest driverless metro lines, which will be used by the 25 million visitors expected at Expo 2020.
The contract was awarded by Alstom and Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) to deliver the systems extension and upgrade of the Dubai metro’s Red Line.
Known as Route 2020, the 15 km extension will include seven stations and is currently under construction to connect the existing network with the World Expo 2020 site. It is due to enter into service in May 2020, five months before the Expo opens.
The Alstom-led consortium Expolink, also composed of Acciona and Gulermak, has signed a contract with RTA to design and build the extension of Dubais Red line and upgrade the system of the existing line. The total value of the project is $2.9bn.
As per the contract, Thales will provide a driverless train signalling technology as well as integrated supervision, telecommunications, passengers services, security, and fare collection systems. These solutions are designed to optimise energy consumption, smooth passenger flows, and improve IT connectivity, said the company in a statement.
This latest project is a major milestone in the urban transport system of this futuristic city, which is considered particularly innovative in the transport sector in particular. It will definitely contribute to Dubaïs objective to become the smartest city in the world, it stated.
Thales has now been selected again to improve urban mobility, provide the latest enhancements to the solutions already in service and equip 50 new trains provided by Expolink consortium, said the statement. One of the challenges will be to complete the project without disruption to the metros 20-hour-a-day operation on the existing line, it also added.