A tender for Abu Dhabi's planned 340km tram system will be sent out within the next two months and a consultant selected for the 130-km metro system in the capital in August, the Department of Transport (DoT) said yesterday.
The moves are part of a multibillion-dollar transport upgrade for the emirate to prepare for a five-fold increase in daily trips by 2030, according to projections.
"The next one or two months is the scope and request for proposals [for the tram consultancy contract], although we are more focused at the moment on getting a metro consultant," said Ahmad al Akhras, a transport planning consultant at the DoT.
Engineers, architects and consultants flocked to the capital yesterday for the Urban Transportation 2009 conference, where government transport planners are providing new details for the integrated public transport plans laid out in the emirate's Plan 2030. The conference runs until tomorrow.
The Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP), which is expected to be released to the public in the coming weeks, calls for rolling out integrated bus, personal rapid transit, light rail, metro, high-speed regional rail and water taxis over the next two decades.
The contract to help develop the STMP was awarded to Mott MacDonald and Steer Davies Gleave.
Separately, other government entities are planning a multibillion-dollar freight rail line to further the emirate's industralisation plans.
Although the DoT has not given an estimate on the masterplan's total value, the most recent estimates by industry professionals suggest it could cost as much as Dh250 billion (US$68.06bn), including an Dh80bn high-speed regional rail to Dubai, Al Ain and Al Gharbia that has not been given a planned launch date.
In the process, the city will be transformed and become a more pedestrian-friendly city, said planners at the DoT and the Urban Planning Council (UPC), which is charged with implementing Plan 2030.
Dr Alan Perkins, a senior planning manager at the UPC, said two challenges were existing road networks on Abu Dhabi island and land use patterns. The multi-lane roads criss-crossing the capital were effectively "urban highways" while the towers and extensive parking effectively formed "superblocks", he said, both of which impeded pedestrian access. Underground walkways, meanwhile, were underutilised with pedestrians often opting instead to cross dangerously busy roads.
The next planning phases will help the Government decide whether the metro and tram systems should be opened in stages or all at once. It will also decide how much investment it will seek from the private sector, and what structure that might take, such as a public-private partnership.
"We want to open the doors for investors," said Falah al Ahbabi, the general manager of the UPC, during the conference. "We are committed to being as transparent as possible."
The metro consulting tender reportedly drew a record 72 companies, indicating the heavy investment Abu Dhabi is planning while other infrastructure projects around the world are scaled back.
Next year, the DoT plans to submit a tender to study a proposed 500km high-speed train that would reach Dubai, Al Ain, the Al Gharbia region and the Saudi border.
A second highway to Dubai, which will be parallel to E11 and link up with Emirates Road at the Dubai border, will also be one of the first projects and is expected to be completed in the next five years, said Abdullah al Otaiba, the chairman of the DoT.
igale@thenational.ae
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Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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SQUADS
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Bangladesh:
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Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
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5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Company%20Profile
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Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books