Hello.Kitty

Anyone heard anything about the last Metro Stations opening?

Meant to be at the end of this month, I think, but everything's gone quiet... of course. Probably much shuffling of feet and hoping everyone's forgotten.

I'm particularly interested in the JLT one.

lionheart

I read somewhere that the opening of the rest of the Red Line stations had been deferred indefinitely. The reason given was the anticipated lack of demand, apparently. Check Gulf News or The National a few weeks back.

Millsyisland

What brilliant planning.......

Hello.Kitty

yeah, that was what I heard too... although it's absolutely BS - people in JLT/Marina are crying out for the metro to open and the same for Business Bay.

No one came round and asked me if I'd use it. Maybe if everyone left a post-it on the metro doors...

Shehryar

Well said. The issue is that they are using the property sector slowdown as an excuse to save money (or rather, not spend money they don't have) by not opening the remaining Red Line stations.

This works in some areas since many stations were named after and located next to developments that are still holes in the ground.

However, in other instances, JLT / Marina, Business Bay etc - there is significant local population already living next to the station, despite some other ongoing construction and/or stalled projects. That seems to have been conveniently forgotten.

This was the news story from two weeks ago on this issue:

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs....73403153403475

Hello.Kitty

Thanks for that!

Disappointing really. I can't see how they can gather data on "ridership" without actually asking people. especially considering that many potential users are having to make alternative arrangements at the moment.

I'm constantly surprised at the lack of sheer embarrassment of these guys. They're demonstrating that they can't be held to their word and that they can't deliver what they say they can... and they somehow think they're global players? If Middle Eastern governments and businesses ever want to be taken seriously they need to change their attitude.

Shehryar

Very true. Just another one in a long series of delays on this project. Both time-wise and money-wise, this has been significantly over-budget; but then that's true for all such public sector projects in the UK too. Millennium Dome anyone? Even the Jubilee Line extension!

I shudder to imagine what damage the London Olympics will do to the national exchequer.
I guess the very few companies and organisations here that do manage to establish this credibility are indeed global players - Emirates being the most obvious example, but DP World, Dubal, Sabic, Saudi Aramco, Investec, Arcapita, Abraaj etc probably also merit honourable mentions in other fields.

The govt. owned utility companies and monopoly service providers most definitely do not


Thus proving that its competition which makes an organisation, and the absence thereof which ruins one.

Mullet

Looking out of the window I can see a train actually in the Dubai Health Care City station, which wasn't there two weeks ago. The stations will be completed but the contractors won't commission them until payments are fully paid up.