Video: Work begins on Dubai Expo 2020 metro station, route

Work has commenced on the iconic Expo 2020 metro station – the largest metro railway station in Dubai.

During a media tour of the expo site on Monday, an expo official said construction work on the Route 2020 line and metro station is underway with a number of metro pillars now visible at the site.

In June 2016, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) awarded by the contract worth AED10.6 billion for Route 2020 to Expolink, a consortium of French, Spanish and Turkish companies.

The Expo station design incorporates elements inspired by the wings of an airplane. Trial runs are likely to commence in fourth quarter 2019 with the official operation starting on May 20, 2020 – five months before the opening of Expo 2020.

The RTA will purchase 50 trains with 15 for the Expo service and 35 to upgrade the metro system.

Route 2020 will run on a 15-km stretch extending from Nakheel Harbour & Tower Station to the Expo 2020 site and comprises 11 kilometre-long viaduct and a 4-kilometre-long underground rail track. There will be seven stations: five elevated and two underground stations.

The new route serves an area of high population density, such as parks, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Investments Park. The estimated time of the journey from Dubai Marina to the Expo Metro station is about 16 minutes.