LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Serco Group has signed a two-year contract extension with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai, to continue operating and maintaining the Dubai Metro until September 2021, it announced on Monday.
The FTSE 250 outsourcing giant said the extension included the operation and maintenance of the Red Line expansion, which was currently under construction, with the test-run of the expanded service expected to start in February 2020 in readiness for full operation ahead of 'Expo 2020' in October of that year.

It said the total value of the fixed base fee for the contract extension was around AED 680m (£140m).

"Serco has delivered operational performance levels on the Dubai Metro with a high train service availability of 99.9% and a punctuality of 99.8%, achieving a record of 204 million journeys in 2018," said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Roads and Transport Authority's board of executive directors.

Serco first began operating and maintaining the initial 10 stations on the Red Line from the official opening of the Dubai Metro in 2009.

Expansion of the Metro had seen the Red Line grow to 29 stations, while the Green Line - opened in 2011 - added an additional 20 stations.

The Red Line expansion for Expo 2020 was adding 15 kilometres and seven stations.

At that point, the Dubai Metro would have a total network length of 90 kilometres and more than 120 trains running at peak times.

Serco said its more than 2,000 employees on the Dubai Metro were continuing to deliver "excellent" operational performance and record numbers of passenger journeys.

"We are delighted to have agreed this extended and expanded contract to continue operating and maintaining the Dubai Metro, which is amongst the largest and most reliable rail services in the world," said Serco chief executive officer Rupert Soames.

"This contract demonstrates the high confidence that RTA has in Serco to continue delivering world-class levels of safety, operational performance and customer service.

"We look forward to working in close partnership with the RTA in support of the preparations for Expo 2020 and beyond."

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