The Dubai Metro is a fast rail network in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The red and green lines are running and the other line is under construction. The first two lines run underground in the city Centre, on the viaducts elsewhere (overhead railways). All trains are fully automated and unmanned, and air conditioning with platform edge doors is installed with the station to achieve this goal. The construction company Aedas designed 45 stations in the subway, two warehouses, and an operation control center. Al Ghurair Investment Group is the builder of the subway.
Dubai Metro Stations:
The first part of the red line covers 10 stations and was opened on September 9, 2009, by the Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The line was opened to the public on June 6 on the morning of September 10 (UTC 04:00). The Dubai Metro is the first city train network in the Arabian Peninsula, the second in the Arab world (after Cairo Metro), and the third (if the ground-level limited-service Baghdad Metro). In April 2015, a major expansion of the red line was announced to increase the 15km track and extend it from Ibn Battuta to the 2020 World Expo site. The expansion added 7 subway stations.
In the first two days of operation, more than 110,000 people (about 10% of Dubai’s population) used the subway. From September 9, 2009, to February 9, 2010, the Dubai Metro transported 10 million passengers, 11 of which were on the red line. Atkins, an engineering consultancy, provided comprehensive multidisciplinary design and management of the civil works of the Dubai Metro. Until 2016, the Dubai Metro was the world’s longest unmanned subway network with a length of 75 kilometers (47 miles) and was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2012. However, the total length of the route has since been surpassed by the fully automated unmanned Vancouver light rail train and the Singapore MRT. Despite this, the red line is 52.1 km (32.4 miles) and remains the world’s longest driverless single subway line.
Dubai Metro Stations:
Dubai is known for its exquisite and luxurious infrastructures. With Dubai’s growth in population and the increase in tourism was putting a burden on the transport structure of Dubai.
Dubai fast rail network trains are driverless and have sections for women and children and first-class passengers. The view from the train offers an exquisite view of the city.
Two lines have opened since the railways’ network came into operation.
- Redline: the line was opened in the year 2009 and moves from Rashidiya near Dubai International Airport to UAE exchange it has 29 stations and all stations are operational.
- Greenline: the line started operating in the year 2011 and the network is from Etisalat to creek it has 20 stations and all 20 stations are operational.
- Route 2020: this line is scheduled to open in the year 2020 right in time for the Dubai 2020 expo. The network operates from Nakheel Harbor and tower to the expo.
Dubai Tram:
The Dubai tram and the Dubai metro are connected at the DAMAC metro station which was formerly known as Marina Metro Station and DMCC Metro Station which was previously known as Jumeirah Lakes towers Metro station on the red line. The Dubai Metro is operational every day and all week.
- Redline is operational from 5 am till midnight on Saturday to Wednesday. 5 am till 1 am on Thursday and 10am to 1 am on Friday.
- The green line is operational from 5:30am until midnight Saturday to Wednesday. 5:30am until 1am on Thursday and 10 am till 1 am on Friday.
The change in the operating star times on Friday was effective from October 2015. Earlier start times were made effective from the year 2017. The operating time mentioned above are for the entire metro line. The timings for the last train per station may vary accordingly. The trains are frequent and arrive every 4 minutes during peak hours and every 7 minutes during 0ff peak hours.
The red line is longer and a journey from the Rashidiya to the Jebel Ali takes up to 1 hour and 8 minutes. The green line is comparatively shorter which is why a trip from Etisalat to Dubai health care center takes 36 minutes.
Fares for the train are relatively cheaper and you can purchase contactless cards that are available at every metro station, authorized sales agents like (Carrefour, spinneys) and bus stations.
Dubai Metro Cabins:
The layout of the train is quite simple. Each train has 5 cabins and the one cabin at the end of the train is divided into 2 with one being the gold class cabin and the cabin at the other end of the train is for women and children. The new train layout was introduced in the year 2019. The gold cabin is the least crowded and has lesser seats, whereas the cabin for women and children is more spacious to keep the strollers and has more seats. The middle of the train which is the standard or sliver cabin is for people with standard classes. The United Arab Emirates imposes heavy fines if you travel in the wrong cabin of the trains.
There are times you want to park your cars somewhere and use the metro station to get somewhere else. The metro station of Dubai offers 3 large parking areas where drivers can leave and park their cars.
- Nakheel Harbor and Tower of the Redline has about 3000 parking spots in their parking.
- Rashidiya of the Redline has about 2700 parking spots in their parking area.
- Etisalat of the Greenline has 2300 parking spots.
- There are no parking charges for metro users.
Dubai Metro Bag Policy:
Dubai Metro has two dedicated spots for Dubai International Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. These spots are at the eastern end of the red line.
The passenger has to follow some rules while traveling on the metro train. No passenger is allowed to carry more than 2 bags which may include one large suitcase and a one-piece handbag. The dimensions of the suitcase should not be more than 81cm x 58cm x 30cm.