Dubai Metro

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Everything you need to know from the Gulf News.

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Latest press release 08 Jun 2007 (in the Gulf News)

On the fast track
Staff Report

The Dubai Metro is taking shape rapidly. Approximately 7,000 workers are building the Dh15.5 billion metro project across the city. The number is set to increase as construction of the Green Line gathers pace.

Major construction is underway on the 52.1km Red Line between Jebel Ali Port and Al Rashidiya. Work continues round-the-clock at most sites.

Launched in October 2005, the project is on track for completion on time, with a trial run scheduled from June to August 2009 and train service to begin in September 2009.

Once completed, some 87 trains will initially run on the Red and Green Lines — a total of 74.6 kilometres. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is also working on designs for the Blue and Purple lines.

The fully automated and driverless trains will be able to carry about 1.8 million passengers per day.

Proposed Stations

There will be a total of 47 stations (in addition to stations on the extension lines).

The Red Line will have 29 stations, including 24 elevated, four underground and one at ground-level. This line is 52.1km long, including 4.7km underground. The Green Line will have 18 stations, including 12 elevated and six underground. The Green

Line is 22.5km long, including 7.9km underground.

There will be two transfer stations — Union Square and the BurJuman Centre. At the transfer stations, Green and Red Lines will cross each other and passengers will be able to change lines.

Work on metro stations will continue into 2008.

All elevated stations on the Red Line will be completed by the beginning of 2008, while the underground stations will be complete by early 2009.

Parking lots

Car parking will be provided for rail users. There will be two major parking lots on the Red Line — one at Rashidiya Station for 3,000 cars and at Jumeirah Islands Station for another 3,000 cars.

The biggest parking lot will be built at Al Qusais Station with a capacity of 6,000 cars. It will cater to users coming from Sharjah. There will also be small parking lots at each station.

Line extensions

Extension of Dubai Metro's Red Line is currently under design. It will be extended from Jebel Ali Free Zone to the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border — an additional 12km. The RTA is reviewing a plan to extend the Red Line from Jebel Ali to the under construction Jebel Ali Airport, but is still not finalised.

Extension plans for the Green Line have been approved and it has been extended by about 4.9km from Healthcare City to Al Jaddaf. The Green Line was initially designed for 17.6km, but now it is 22.5-km long.

Integrated transport system

All main metro stations will have adjacent bus stations as part of the integrated transport system which will include buses, taxis as well as water transport links at stations near the creek.

The RTA is planning to introduce an integrated card system, the Smart Card, that will enable passengers to travel on trains, buses and water transport, as well as use the parking areas.

Aesthetic settings

Each train will have three classes — The Golden Class (VIP), the Women and Children's Class and the Silver Class (economy).

The Golden Class will have a luxurious interior with leather seating. The Women and Children's compartments will have plenty of space for strollers and bags to ensure a safe and comfortable journey.

The Silver Class has been finished in a combination of blues and greens. Seating is arranged to give passengers the choice between admiring views through windows or chatting with friends.

Safety and convenience

All compartments will have reserved wheelchair spaces and priority seating for the elderly, injured, those with special needs and pregnant women.

The compartments will be equipped with audio-visual devices and signs will show the route map of the metro and other directions for passengers. A variety of safety devices, including closed circuit television in all trains will ensure a safe and comfortable journey for all.

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Gulf News 25 June 2007...

Metro fires up property prices
By Robert Ditcham, Staff Reporter
Published: June 24, 2007, 23:30


Dubai: Demand for real estate near Dubai Metro stations is heating up in response to the rapid physical emergence of the RTA's Dh15.5 billion project, say property consultants and agencies.

Companies and residents on the hunt for real estate are increasingly prioritising locations near metro stations and are willing to pay a premium to avoid congested roads and tolls.

Meanwhile, landlords and real estate developers are responding by heavily marketing links between their properties and the first phase of the metro, which will follow a route along Shaikh Zayed Road and is scheduled to open in September 2009. The second phase will be built mostly underground and should open in March 2010.

The trend means Dubai's future property hot spots will be dictated by proximity to the metro, says Craig Johnson, general manager at real estate consultancy Landmark Properties.

"We have witnessed a huge surge in interest from prospective investors regarding the metro. Proximity to a metro stop has become a leading strategy for investors looking to maximise appreciation on their investments," he said, without specifying expected appreciation rates.

"Significantly, a number of reputable investment funds who are considered particularly astute in the market are targeting property located close to metro stations."

Peter Penhall, CEO of Dubai-based realty portal Gowealthy.com, said it is hard to estimate appreciation levels or premiums for property near stations, but said it will have a greater chance of holding its value should the market dip.

Recent trend

The seeds for the project were sown 10 years ago when a feasibility study concluded that Dubai could no longer rely on road networks to cater to escalating traffic.

But investor interest in land near the metro has only recently picked up in response to the physical emergence of train lines and station locations, said Ryan Mahoney, managing director at Dubai-based real estate agency Better Homes. "People are realising that the metro is not just a pipedream. Construction work is happening quicker than they had anticipated."

He said prices should appreciate for non-luxury property within walking distance of stations, but said it is unlikely that Dubai's future demographics will change as the project is being built along existing road arteries.

The majority of investor interest so far has been for commercial real estate, he added. "Business owners are thinking about how their mid-level staff will be able to commute to the office, especially as congestion and tolls are considered barriers to road use."

Retail real estate in and around stations will also be attractive to investors because of the guaranteed high shopper footfall that a metro station can provide, said Penhall.

It remains uncertain how close a property must be to a station to command a premium. In cities with moderate climates the distance is up to 400 metres, but in Dubai it will be nearer 100 metres, said Mahoney.

Press Release 24 June 2007..

Metro access to dictate Dubai’s next property hot spots according to property experts

Landmark Properties, one of the UAE's leading property consultancies, has today announced that Dubai's future property hot spots will be dictated by proximity to the Metro.

"At Landmark Properties we have witnessed a huge surge in interest from prospective investors regarding the Metro. Proximity to a Metro stop has become a leading strategy for investors looking to maximise appreciation on their investments."

"Significantly, the number of reputable investment funds who are considered particularly astute in the market are targeting property located close to Metro stations. Landmark Properties has seen a sharp rise in the number of enquiries about commercial and residential buildings location in regarding to the new transport system. This is a trend we expect to continue for several years to come," noted Craig Johnson, General Manager, Landmark Properties.

Dubai's latest trend for investing in real estate offering superior transport links and accessibility follows patterns of investment seen in most western cities.

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14 April 2007
Metro to run from 5am to 12.30am
By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter

Dubai: The daily run time for the Dubai Metro will be from 5am to 12.30am - about 19 hours and 30 minutes every day, said a senior official.

Passengers will not be able to ride trains at night from 12.30am to 5am. The first train will start at 5am and the operation will be suspended soon after midnight at 12.30am.

"Break is necessary for maintenance of trains and safe operation," said Engineer Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Agency.

Each train will stop at every station and dwell time [time for each stop] will vary according to the ridership (commuter count) of each station. However, stopping time at each station will be between 20 and 30 seconds.

Total trip time from Al Rashidiya to Jebel Ali Port on the Red Line - 52.1 km long will be 60 to 63 minutes. This will be under all conditions regardless of traffic jams and weather conditions. Runtime for the Green Line is not yet known. The average train speed will be 110 km per hour.

Earlier, Al Tayer, who held a meeting with a delegation from Singapore led by Delib Nayr, Consul General of Singapore in Dubai, briefed the delegation about Dubai Metro and the public transport system being adopted in Dubai.

The delegation also gave a presentation about operation of metro in Singapore and offered to cooperate with the RTA on its metro and public bus transport project.

Red Line work

The Dh15.5 billion metro project was launched in October 2005 and it is the world's largest system, which will use fully automated and driverless trains.

Currently, major work is under way on the 52.1 km Red Line between Jebel Ali Port and Al Rashidiya.

Once completed, some 87 trains will initially run on Red and Green Lines with a total length of 74.6 km. A fully functional metro system will be able to carry about 1.8 million passengers every working day.

"The aims of the Metro are to provide an alternative mode of transport to ease congestion, save passengers' travelling time and improve mobility within the city.

"It is intended to provide transport coverage and reach all strategic areas of the city and develop the network to branch out into the suburbs with future extensions," said Al Tayer.

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First Metro train is expected to arrive in Dubai in March 2008.

In April 2008, the Dubai Metro will start testing trains on an 11 km stretch of the Metro track from Ibn Battuta Mall to the Jebel Ali Metro station - an 11 km stretch of track.