Abdulredha Hussain Al Hassan, director of planning and rail development for the Road and Transport Authority’s Rail Agency (RTA), claimed that emirates without railway or metro links would suffer from traffic jams and pollution. Failure to establish better transport links by any of the emirates would hinder development, Al Hassan said in an interview with Arabian Business. “Most international cities have high-speed rail airport links and Dubai will be the first to offer such services in the region. The regional airports will have no choice but to follow suit, or risk being left behind,” he warned.

The $4.2bn Dubai Metro, expected to start operating this September, should reduce traffic congestion by between 12 and 17 percent.

Once fully operational, the metro will have two airport stations, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 for passengers flying in and out of Dubai.

The stations will be similar to airport lounges with travellers able to check-in luggage before boarding a train to the airport, Al Hassan told AB.

“By having a safe, fast and convenient method of transport with effective coverage and reach of the city's business, residential and commercial centres, the city becomes more accessible, thereby, bolstering its competitiveness,” he said.

“This in turn means that the city becomes attractive for holding international conventions, sport events, exhibitions, conferences and other international events,” he added.

The RTA expects 15 million average daily trips around Dubai by 2015 when the emirate’s public transport network has been further developed.

An 800 km UAE national railway line linking all seven emirates is planned and should be operational by 2013.

Sign in with a social network: