Obtaining NOCs is a must for working within Railway Right-of-Way: RTA
Al Tayer: 5 meters off rail facilities set as Red Zone, 30 meters as Yellow Zone
Half a million dirham fine fixed against unauthorized works in the railway exclusive zone
Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), called on consultants & contractors to comply with the regulations set for obtaining work permits within Railway Right-of-Way, as well as the technical stipulations set for working within the Red Zone stretching 5 meters off the edge of rail facilities, and the Yellow Zone stretching 30 meters off the edge of rail facilities. He highlighted the importance of protecting and ensuring the safety of rail tracks and facilities, adding that RTA would not hesitate to take punitive measures against offenders.
“The Executive Regulation of Order No (5)/2009 governing railway works in Dubai Emirate stipulated, in Article (59), the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from RTA Railway Right-of-Way Office whenever it is needed to carry out any activity or work that may expose the safety of rail facilities or rail operations to danger. Restricted activities that require obtaining NOCs include storage of cargo, movement or operation of automatic lifting machines and other mechanical lifting equipment, and excavation works as well as drilling of wells, seabed, canals, boreholes, and lagoons. It also includes boring of tunnels & subterranean wells, digging of trenches and bulldozing the soil surface, in addition to any acts of destruction and demolition, the use of explosives, fireworks & setting fires, scaffolding & setting other temporal structures, replacing power transmission lines, and other activities which Rail Agency opts to subject to monitoring within the protective zone of railway infrastructure. Such works have to be carried out in a controlled manner to reduce the level of risks directly impacting the safety of trains,” said Al Tayer.
He further added: “The Executive Regulation obliged all bodies intending to carry out works in the area adjacent to rail facilities to communicate with RTA Railway Right-of-Way Office to obtain the required NOCs before starting any work on the ground. All information required by the Office for the issuance of the NOC have to be submitted. There are five types of NOCs, namely: NOC to obtaining information, NOC to the initial design, NOC to the final design, NOC to the experimental excavation work, and NOC to construction works; each NOC will be valid for a period of 180 days. The Executive Regulation of Order No (5)/2009 governing railway works in Dubai Emirate imposes deterrent fines against offenders as Article (18) provided that the violation of carrying out works with the railway protective zone, whether planned or actually existing, before obtaining a prior NOC from the RTA carries a fine of half a million dirham, besides halting all works until the offence is removed. The Regulation entitles the RTA to stop anybody from practicing or attempting to practice any activity prohibited activity in any rail protective zone without obtaining a prior NOC”.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director stated that RTA had confirmed the booking of paths of the metro tunnels beneath Dubai Creek through the applicable systems at Planning & Survey Department, the Dubai Municipality, and made necessary coordination with Dubai Customs to control company activities within the Dubai Creek, particularly near the metro tunnels.
“RTA will shortly hold a workshop to enlighten contractors & consultants about the Railway Right-of-Way and the Executive Regulation, and explain the stipulations and guidelines set for working within the Railway Right-of-Way. RTA will also intensify the inspection campaigns round-the-clock on all metro tracks on both the Red and Green Lines,” added Al Tayer in a final remark.
Photo captions:
• Mattar Al Tayer
• Layout of the paths of the Dubai Metro Red and Green Lines