Metro will be a major component in the transportation master plan for the city, says planning officer
Zayed City, the latest government-funded mixed-use development, in Abu Dhabi will have its own metro station, a senior Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) official has said.
This is the first announcement by a government entity on the metro in recent times, which is slated to be part of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.
The Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport puts the length of the metro at approximately 131 kilometres, which will relieve traffic congestions on the highway network and provide optimal connectivity between Abu Dhabi Island, its suburbs and communities such as Saadiyat, Yas Islands and Al Raha Beach. However, no details are mentioned on when work will commence on it.
“The metro will be linked throughout the city of Abu Dhabi and will be a major component in the transportation master plan for Zayed City,” Hamad Al Mutawa, senior planning manager, planning and policy department, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), told Arabian Business at the recently-concluded Cityscape.
“We do have the [metro] plan, but it is for the Department of Transport (DoT) to raise the budget for the government and [get] the approval following which they will inform us,” he said.
Separately, an Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanda) official during the event said the project will have a partly underground light rail transit (LRT) system though the length has not been finalised.
Infrastructure work has started on the Emirati neighbourhood and the southern spine, a mixed-use district, in Zayed City. The entire infrastructure work for the city is likely to be completed by 2020.
Arabian Business reported earlier that it will become mandatory for all federal government offices and diplomatic missions to move to the city once it is ready.
[Ref: arabianbusiness.com]
