Dubai Metro receives 13 ‘noise complaints’

The RTA Rail Projects Director of Construction, Engineer Adnan Al Hammadi, said two written and 11 verbal complaints had been received from areas including Al Rigga, BurJuman, Al Karama, Baniyas Square and Emirates Towers.

He said the number was low as only 15 out of 48 Dubai Metro stations are located in residential areas.

“Over 60 per cent of the metro stations are located along Shaikh Zayed Road, the airport area, or industrial zones,” he said.

“Technically, residents along the Dubai Metro alignment are not significantly affected by construction activities, particularly since the implemented traffic diversions reduced traffic in these areas and replaced the traffic noise by construction noise,” he explained.

Complaints were addressed through the placement of noise barriers, reduction of daytime working hours and prohibition of ‘noisy’ work between 8.00pm and 6.00am.

Al Hammadi said that although this development had an impact on the tight target of completion date, the project is currently on schedule.

“There are site-specific noise mitigation plans for the residential areas and immediate action is taken whenever noise levels approach the limits specified by Dubai Municipality,” he said.

Meanwhile, environmental officers were monitoring noise levels on a regular basis, measuring it and comparing it to the background noise that existed before construction works started.