The Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai has given the responsibility of operating and maintaining Dubai Metro to a Japanese-French consortium consisting of European firm Keolis and Mitsubishi arm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, according to a statement.
The consortium, named Keolis MHI Rail Management and Operation LLC, has also taken over the operations of Dubai Tram.
Both Dubai Metro and Dubai Tram were earlier managed by Serco Middle East.
The operation and maintenance contract of Dubai Metro and Tram with Keolis-MHI LLC spans 15 years, of which nine are base years and six years are renewable every two years.
During this period, the company shall undertake the operation and maintenance of the Dubai Metro Red and Green lines as well as the operation of the Dubai Tram.
It will also run all assets of the metro and tram networks including trains, control centers, stations, and the associated infrastructure.
The company will be expected to provide high-class passenger transport services compatible with the daily variations in the number of the metro and tram riders, said the statement.
The contract also covers the operation and maintenance of the automated metro and fare systems.
This includes the selling and recharging of nol cards at the metro stations, providing senior, technical and administrative posts for Emiratis and training them on the work environment.
It also includes the continuous monitoring of the integrity as well as the improvement of the metro and tram systems.
Keolis MHI would also be expected to ensure the full coordination and integration of the metro, tram, and other means of transport, provide the highest standards of security and safety for tram riders, and achieve competitive performance indicators in the operation and punctuality of the operational timetables.
The change in operators coincided with the 12th anniversary of Dubai Metro, which started operation on September 9, 2009.
Since then, the metro services recorded a trip punctuality of 99.7 percent and ridership of more than 1.7 billion passengers until the end of August.