Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded German firm TUV Rheinland a contract to identify ways to support the reliability and performance of the red and green line on the Dubai Metro.

The four-month RAM [Reliability, Availability and Maintainability] and system performance study is due to be completed by the end of December.

Passenger demand for the metro system has been growing since the rail network was first opened in 2009. By the end of the first quarter of 2013, the number of commuters on both the green and red line hit 33,341,950.

There are also plans afoot to expand the green and red lines and the RTA is looking to appoint an adviser shortly to explore funding options for the expansion. Options could include the use of a public-private partnership model.

TUV Rheinland has been picking up a number of contracts on rail projects in the Middle East. In September, it won a contract covering the safety assessment of a new monorail link being built in Dubai to serve The Pointe shopping and leisure development on the Palm Jumeirah.

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