DUBAI // Seventeen residents affected by loud noise and damaged homes due to trains at Dubai Metro's Rashidiya depot have received Dh250,000 in compensation - a total payout of Dh4.25 million.
"We have paid the amounts for the owners of the houses near the Metro depot last week," said Mattar Al Tayer, the chairman and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The body said yesterday it planned to build sound barriers to protect the affected houses, and that these would be high enough to ensure the privacy of occupants.
The RTA did not provide a date for the construction work.
The authority also said it had banned the use of train horns in the depot.
"The implementation of these measures was in response to a site survey carried out by a work team of the RTA, which concluded that some houses were affected by noises resulting from the squeaking and friction of train wheels during tests carried out at Al Rashidiya Metro Depot," Mr Al Tayer said.
In January, authorities recorded 69.5 decibels in the area, which is slightly below the maximum permissible level of 70.7 decibels.
The survey also found that houses had sustained several cracks, which were mainly caused by vibrations from the back-and-forth movement of trains in the station.
Rashidiya is at the northern end of the Metro's Red Line.
The homeowners who were worst affected were in the first four houses next to Rashidiya Park, along with another property.
The RTA said the Metro had infringed upon the privacy of these homeowners.
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