Dubai Chronicle reported that Dubai is planning to invest $8.8 billion in the development of new projects ahead of the World Expo 2020 and a big part of that will go for the construction of new hotels. What about the rest? According to the latest announcements, some of the Dubai Expo budget will also be spent on new schools, infrastructure projects, as well as a few theme parks.
During an investment conference in the city yesterday, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) shared that the emirate targets a public transport share of 20% by 2020. In other words, RTA wants the city’s public transport to serve 20% of all commuters in the emirate. Latest statistics show that the number of passengers in 2013 has increased by 170%, reaching 400 million.
A big role in that will have the upcoming metro line extensions. RTA announced that Dubai will construct a new metro link to the site of the World Expo 2020. Its length will be between 8km to 15km and it will service 2-4 metro stations. The Red and the Green lines, on the other hand, will be extended next year by 3.5km and 20.6km, respectively.
In addition, new infrastructure project will be launched in the region as part of the World Expo preparations. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) aims at attracting new investors to support the upcoming infrastructure projects. What is known for now is that plans also involve about 500 km of new roads and 120 new intersections in Dubai. Also, Dubai and Abu Dhabi will try to improve the quality and alternatives of transportation between the two emirates.
New theme parks are also in the plans. According to the CEO of Jumeirah Group, they are vital for the city’s tourism sector. Among them are said to be the completion of Universal Studios theme park, Dubai Adventure Studios, a night safari theme park, as well as a Bollywood park.
Dubai is also in a need for more schools that need to be build by 2020. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced that 110 new schools need to be build in the city. According to KHDA, they will need to cope with the increasing number of private school students. As a result, they will be managed by the private sector. Currently, a little under 90% of all students in Dubai attend a private school. Many emirati students also go to non-state schools (56%). Hopefully, KHDA will put more efforts into obliging private investors in the education sector to perform according established international standards and provide better education for Dubai’s students. At present, their level of achievements is still below international average.
