Keolis-MHI takes over operations and maintenance of Dubai Metro and Tram

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Wednesday that Keolis MHI Rail Management and Operation LLC had taken over operations and maintenance of Dubai Metro and Dubai Tram from Serco Middle East.

The handover was undertaken on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Dubai Metro, which began operating 09/09/2009.

The metro, which is regarded to be the longest driverless metro network in the world, has carried over 1.706 billion passengers as of the end of August.

The operation and maintenance contract of Dubai Metro and Tram with Keolis-MHI spans 15 years – 9 base years and 6 years renewable every two years. The company will run all assets of the metro and tram networks including trains, control centres, stations and associated infrastructure.

The handing/taking over of operations ceremony between Keolis MHI Rail Management and Operation LLC & Serco Middle East, which was held at Al Rashidiya Metro Depot, was attended by HE Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of #RTA pic.twitter.com/DVlCH8rqsW

— RTA (@rta_dubai) September 8, 2021

The contract also covers the operation and maintenance of the automated metro and fare systems including the selling and recharging of nol cards at the metro stations, providing senior, technical and administrative posts for Emiratis.

During the preparatory period, the company carried out a smooth process for the gradual taking over of assets and systems together with the transfer of employees from Serco to its human resources.

Serco has handled operations of Dubai Metro since 2009. “Over the past 12 years, working hand in hand with the RTA, we have successfully launched, maintained and operated two of the region’s first rail transit systems. We are proud to have enabled over 200 million passenger journeys per annum with trains running at 99.7 percent punctuality,” said Phil Malem, Serco Group Middle East CEO.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA added, “Dubai Metro has plenty of socio-economic as well as environmental benefits. It has appreciated the value of properties in some commercial districts around the metro stations by 20 to 30 per cent. The cumulative benefits of the metro from 2009 up to the end of 2020 amounted to Dhs115bn against cumulative capital and operational costs of Dhs45billion.

“The cumulative benefits are expected to reach Dhs234bn by 2030 against cumulative capital and operational costs of Dhs54bn. The economic return from each dirham spent on the Dubai Metro reached Dhs2.5 in 2020 and is expected to rise to Dhs4.3 by 2030.

“The metro has also reduced the carbon emissions and eased the traffic congestion across the districts served by 15 to 25 per cent. It has also contributed to enhancing the share of public transport means in people mobility three folds from 6 per cent in 2006 to as much as 18.1 percent in 2019,” noted Al Tayer.

The latest addition to the Dubai Metro network is the 15-km long Route 2020 that links to the Expo 2020 site and which was built at a cost of Dhs11bn.

Read: Video: Sheikh Mohammed inaugurates Dubai Metro’s Route 2020