With a view to Expo Dubai 2020, the Roads and Transport Authority announced an additional 15 km extension to the Dubai subway (4 km of underground line and 11 km of elevated line), reaching a total of 90 km, which will connect the Expo area with the heart of the city and the airport. The extension of the metro system is part of the larger project Route 2020, which aims at a sustainable development of infrastructures and services for easier and faster travel. Indeed, it is estimated that travelling from Dubai Marina to the Expo station will take only 16 minutes. 50 new trains will also be purchased to increase the service frequency throughout the city. In April, after having officially sealed the 2.88 billion dollar deal for the realization of the Route 2020 project with Expolink ‒ a consortium composed of the French company Alstom, the Spanish company Acciona and the Turkish company Gulermak ‒ the Road and Transport Authority revealed the futuristic structure of the future metro station of the Expo, which reminds of the wings of an airplane. The deadline for the completion of the works is currently set for May 2020. The ultimate goal is to connect the aforementioned new metro line with Etihad Rail, the national rail network which should spread for 1200 km, starting from Ghweifat to Abu Dhabi, then proceeding to Dubai and the Northern Emirates and Fujairah, with internal links to Al Ain Madinat Zayed. Investments in public transport have also affected the second phase of the Dubai tramway; the first phase of its construction was completed in 2014.
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