The IMOP Study
What are the objectives of the Preliminary study ?
The duration of this study is 18 months, until late 2008.
Several complementary subjects are currently being analysed by international consultants:
- Alignments studies: definition of the route and the location of the stations.
- Technical studies (geotechnical investigations, hydrology, archaeology, etc.)
- Environmental and social impact.
- Cost analysis.
- Analysis and proposal of financing strategies.
- Reinforcement of the institutions that will manage the future Metro line.
Which approach to define the best option?
Several aspects are considered to obtain the best option for the Green Line.
- Geotechnical and hydrological studies.
- Archaeological investigations.
- Assessment of the environmental and social impacts of the project.
- Urban integration of the Green Line.
- Metro line efficiency and patronage forecasts.
- Analysis of various technical options to optimise the construction work.
- Economic analysis and evaluation of the costs.
The preferred option will be defined by finding the best compromise between these numerous aspects.
As part of the consultation process in its first stage, some people highlighted some technical issues that could delay the implementation of the project. Geotechnical and archaeological matters will be deeply analysed by the project team.
- Geotechnical site investigations are currently being carried out to comprehend more precisely the soil conditions and level of the ground water. Other examples of metro all over the world show that it is always possible to build an underground metro line, even with sensitive geotechnical and hydrological conditions. Various technical solutions exist to cope with bad ground conditions.
- Damascus is one of the most ancient cities of the world, and some archaeological relicts will probably be discovered during the construction of the metro. This will be anticipated, and archaeological dig will be implemented before the construction.