DUBAI: The Roads and Traffic Authority in Dubai has raised 1.8 billion dirhams (about $490 million) from companies bidding to have Dubai Metro stations and the city’s two lines — the Red Line and the Green Line — named after them.
The companies won an international bid. “The initiative sets a new global benchmark in the field of naming rights and partnerships between public and private sectors,” said Mattar Al-Tayer, RTA’s chairman and executive director, at a press conference yesterday.
The seven companies which were successful in their bids were Majid Al-Futtaim Group (Mall of the Emirates Station and Deira City Center Station), Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat Station), Gulf General Investment Company (GGICO Station), Sharaf DG (Sharaf DG Station), First Gulf Bank (First Gulf Bank Station), Nakheel (which has three stations — Nakheel Station, The Palm Deira Station and the Nakheel Harbour & Tower Station) and Dubai Airport Free Zone (Dubai Airport Free Zone Station).
Companies and organizations that contributed to funding Dubai Metro stations include Dubai Holding, which will build six stations: Creek, Jaddaf, Emirates Towers, Dubai Health Care City, TECOM and Business Bay.
Dubai Holding paid 600 million dirhams for this right. The list also includes Emirates Airlines (Emirates Station), Emaar (Burj Dubai Station), and Dubai Multi Commodities Center (Jumeirah Lakes Towers). Emaar paid 100 million dirhams and DMCC paid 117 million dirhams.
“Dubai Metro Naming Rights initiative commanded the huge attention of CEOs and senior marketing executives of leading local and global companies and brands, representing the first batch of companies joining the Dubai Metro Naming Rights initiative,” said Al-Tayer.
Each of the companies selected will be entitled to attach their corporate names and logos to a prescribed passenger station for up to 10 years under newly signed contracts.
More than 250 applications were received for the program. The RTA began receiving bids on April 15. The Dubai Metro is expected to carry 1.2 million passengers per day.
