Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is offering investment opportunities for renting retail outlets at the metro stations of Route 2020, namely Jebel Ali, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park and Expo 2020 stations.
RTA called on the business community and investors all over the UAE to benefit from this new business prospect generated by the 15-km Route 2020, which serves densely populated areas inhabited by more than 270 thousand individuals.
Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of Rail Agency, RTA said:
“These stations offer 40 retail outlets spanning an area of 15,860 square feet in addition to 5 sales kiosks. Metro stations of Route 2020 offer a brilliant investment opportunity for entrepreneurs as they are considered high-attraction spots for shoppers and tourists on the move.
Route 2020 can handle 46,000 riders per hour in both directions (23,000 riders per direction per hour). According to RTA’s studies, the number of Route 2020 is projected to be used by 125,000 riders per day in 2021 and shoot to about 275,000 riders per day by 2030. Studies also revealed that Expo Station is expected to witness 35,000 visitors per day during weekdays, and 47,000 visitors per day during weekends. This number accounts for about 29% of the total expected daily visitors of Expo.
The elevated stations of Route 2020 cover an area from 8,100 to 8,800 square metres. The area of the two underground stations ranges from 27,000 to 28,700 square metres, and Expo station covers 18,800 square metres. Route 2020 includes the biggest station in the entire Dubai Metro network vis-à-vis the Jumeirah Golf Estates Station. It has an area of 27,000 square metres, extends 226 metres in length, and can handle up to 250,000 riders per day. The station serves surrounding areas such as the Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Production City and Dubai Sports City.”
The retail outlets at the metro stations are attractive to metro riders and motivate them to make their journeys more enjoyable, besides uplifting the level of service offered to the public in the surrounding communities. These outlets create unique investment opportunities for the retail sector as they offer businesses direct access to metro riders. Since the launch of the metro project in 2009, metro stations contributed to fulfilling RTA’s strategic objectives of reaching to new urban and economic zones, such as Expo, which will be up-and-running in October 2021.
The CEO of Rail Agency concluded:
“Offering retail outlets in Route 2020 is in line with RTA’s endeavors to stimulate the domestic trade and inject fresh growth prospects. The success that marked retail outlets of the Dubai Metro stations on both the Red and Green Lines stems from the success and excellence of the Dubai Metro project. It demonstrates the confidence reposed by the public in this pioneering project that has generated a positive impact on the daily life of people.”
