The UAE’s winning bid to host the World Expo 2020 will require a funding to the tune of Dh30 billion, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) chief said on Monday.
“It will take … that much money to develop the infrastructure of the whole city and the surrounding areas … and the exhibition yard. The RTA will design and construct transport projects needed to host the World Expo 2020, including the 15-km extension of the Dubai Metro Red Line, and upgrading surrounding roads and junctions leading to the site of the Expo,” Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA said.
Al Tayer was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF), held by the RTA in collaboration with the Project Management Institute (PMI), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Emaar. The popular sentiment at the event was that the time has come for “rapid working environments”, further necessitating the need for sleek country-wide infrastructure.
The conference was inaugurated under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Airline, inaugurated the event.
Al Tayer said: “Dubai has already established itself as a cosmopolitan city and is considered a leader in project management. There has been accelerated growth in development and infrastructure and we plan to create an environment for creating smart transportation which is one of the pillars for smart cities.
“In this regard, the RTA has chartered a comprehensive plan to transform the public transport system to smart and integrated transit means accessible to users … The RTA will deliver more than 200 services via smart phones by the end of 2015.”
Brian Muirhead, chief engineer for the Mars Science Laboratory at Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA; Donald Trump Jr, deputy chairman of Trump Organisation; and Mohammed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, were among some of the dignitaries who spoke on tackling challenges of project management in big cities.
Emaar’s success story
Alabbar said teams working behind projects must be passionate and in love with their jobs in order to be successful. Addressing a packed room, Alabbar raised concerns about inflation in the years to come, the need to change technology methodology, and address the needs of the rapidly changing consumer needs.
He also mentioned plans to make Emaar’s hotel businesses (Emaar Hospitality) public “in the months to come” — a day after its malls unit was sold for Dh5.8 billion. However, he did not divulge details of a possible IPO during his speech.
“Emaar is a 17-year-old company and I believe that transparency in functioning and good infrastructure is the key to function well in a rapidly changing environment. Infrastructure is the real investment in cities, because they are foundations of the future. If we don’t develop a single building, but instead have a good infrastructural system, then we’d be much happier,” said Alabbar.
Managing public transport projects
In a panel discussion on managing public transport projects, Al Tayer floated several ideas and success stories on what constitutes a good road and public infrastructure. “When we started out, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, instructed government departments to delight people. At the RTA, we deliver exceptional services to delight passengers. With the diverse population of Dubai with over 200 nationalities, we required a strong communication system.
“The RTA manages as many as 250 projects in public transport and roads at any one time. Because of this complexity, the RTA has established an Enterprise Programme Management Office (EPMO) that dictates the policies and guidelines for project management within the RTA. The EPMO also oversees the important and strategic projects. The RTA has also established Project Management Offices (PMOs) within each agency.
source:khaleejtime
Tags: Dubai, Hosting Expo 2020
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