Serco wins $185m Dubai Metro contract extension

Britain's Serco Group has won a contract extension from Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) worth Dh680 million ($185 million) to deliver operation and maintenance (O&M) services for the Dubai Metro until September 2021.

Announcing the deal, RTA said the two-year contract covers the O&M of the Dubai Metro Red Line Extension Project (Route 2020) spanning 15 km and which connects 7 stations (5 elevated and 2 underground).

The test-run of the service is expected to start in February next year, said the statement from Authority.

The Dubai Metro lines currently have a network length of 75 km, which will soon get increased to 90 km with the Red Line expansion. It will have over 120 trains running at peak times.

"Serco has delivered operational performance levels in the Dubai Metro with a high train service availability of 99.9 per cent and a punctuality of 99.8 per cent, achieving a record of 204 million journeys in 2018, remarked Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, after signing the contract with Rupert Soames, the chief executive officer of Serco Group.

"RTA’s introduction of edge-cutting technologies of the rail operation industry also contributed to achieving these indicators," stated Al Tayer at the signing ceremony which was also attended by Baroness Rona Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade & Export Promotion and Patrick Moody, British ambassador to the UAE.

The RTA chief said the contract also covers all metro assets such as trains, railways and stations. "It will also cater to the provision of high-class passenger transit services customised to the daily ridership demands," stated Al Tayer.

The contract scope also covers operating and maintaining the fare systems of Dubai Metro and collecting the proceeds of selling and recharging nol cards, besides recruiting and training citizens to achieve a set Emiratisation target.

The RTA is keen on qualifying Emiratis and the transfer of knowledge of international expertise in the operation and maintenance of rail systems; a new field to the region, he added.

Al Tayer said contracting the O&M to specialised companies reduces the operational costs of the metro as private businesses are able to provide high quality service and performance at lower costs through continuous improvements and value engineering.

"This allows RTA to focus on its core responsibilities of developing legislation and overseeing implementation & enforcement," he explained.

"Additionally, the practice of contracting the operations and maintenance of the metro is adopted in several rail systems worldwide such as London, France, Australia, Korea, and the US metro lines among others," he added.

Soames said: "We are delighted to have agreed this extended and expanded contract to continue operating and maintaining the Dubai Metro, which is amongst the largest and most reliable rail services in the world."

"We look forward to working in close partnership with the RTA in support of the preparations for Expo 2020 and beyond," he stated.

"This Contract demonstrates the high confidence that RTA has in Serco to continue with delivering world-class levels of safety, operational performance and customer service," he added 

By: Trade Arabia News

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