All of the retail shops along the Dubai Metro train line have been tendered and will be ready for customers when it opens to the public in September, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai announced today. Of the 235 available outlets, totalling approximately 11,000 square metres, 92 per cent have been awarded, with bids three times higher than the minimum bidding rates, the RTA said.
Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim, the chief executive of RTA Strategy and Corporate Governance, said the high demand during the tender process was an early indication of the project's success. "It reflects the public's confidence in the metro and the positive impact that it will create in their daily lives," he said. The retailers would consist mainly of food and beverage outlets, some specialty outlets, pharmacies, banks, convenience stores that catered to commuters' "on-the-go" needs, said Peyman Younes, RTA's director of marketing and corporate communications.
About 500 retailers submitted bids for the tender at the beginning of this year. The leases would be finalised in the coming days, the RTA said. The outlets, which range in size from 300 square feet to 3,000 square feet, will be inside each of the 29 stations on the Red Line and the 18 stations on the Green Line. The Red Line had a capacity of 23,000 people per hour per direction, while the Green Line could shuttle 19,000 people per hour per direction, said Mr Younes.
"You've got the closest thing to a captive audience," he said. aligaya@thenational.ae