Two years to the day after becoming the Gulf’s first mass-transit rail system, the Dubai Metro has opened its Green line. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, launched on September 9, 2011, the official operation of the Dubai Metro Green Line which stretches 23 km and comprises 18 stations in addition to the 2 transfer stations, Union and Khalid bin Al Waleed Stations shared with the Red Line.
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) reported that around 106,000 passengers have used the metro Green Line in Dubai on the first 2 days since the opening day. Passengers travelled between 16 stations representing a full and substantial integration with the Red Line in serving the largest possible section of public transport commuters in the Emirate of Dubai.
The Green Line takes the entire length of the driverless, remote-controlled system to around 75km. All stations have been opened except Al Jadaf and Creek Stations as the property projects intended to be served by these 2 stations have yet to be completed, although both stations are ready for operation.
The opening of the Dubai Metro Green Line marks the completion by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) of the biggest vital transport project ever undertaken across the region.
Dubai Metro’s Red & Green lines will intersect twice, firstly at Union Station which is the biggest underground metro station in the world spanning an area of 25,000 square meters, and secondly at Khalid bin Al Waleed Station which is one of the most incredible metro stations across the globe. Passengers on the Metro in Dubai can transfer between the 2 lines through these 2 stations.
According to the study carried out by the RTA for the areas covered by the Green Line metro in Dubai, 14 trains will be operated during peak hours and 10 trains during off-peak hours with a service frequency ranging from 6 to 8 minutes. Accordingly, the number of trains operated on both the Red and Green lines will increase to 50 trains during peak times and 28 trains during off-peak times.
16 stations will be opened on the Green Line, namely Etisalat Station, situated at Al Qusais near Emirates Road which is the starting point of the Green Line. The station is linked with a multi-level Park-and-Ride terminal with a capacity to house 2350 vehicles as well as a bus station in order to encourage the public to use the Metro in travelling within Dubai Emirate. The design of the station provides sufficient space for public buses to feed the station and ensures a smooth flow of a large number of buses at a time. The parking lot is also fitted with air-conditioned footbridges linking with the other side of the Road, and all essential safety standards are in place to ensure smooth passenger movement within the facility.
Next comes Al Qusais Station, situated near the building of the Ministry of Education and the General Department of Dubai Civil Defence as well as Al Tawar Center which is a hub for several Government services.
Then comes the Airport Free Zone Station which serves Terminal 2 of Dubai Airport and Dubai Airport Free Zone. The 4th station is Al Nahda Station which is adjacent to the building of the Ministry of Public Works and the Union Cooperative Society.
The 5th station is the Stadium Station near Al Ahli Club. The 6th station on the Green Line is Al Qiyadah Station on Al Ittihad Road near the Dubai Police General HQ, followed by the 7th station, Abu Hail station, which serves a host of public schools, commercial centers and businesses, and the 8th station is Abu Baker Al Siddique Station which is situated near Al Muraqqabat Police Station and serves several commercial centers, hotels and business outlets.
The Metro line then moves through an underground passage extending 8 km, starting with Salah Uddin Station which is the 9th station on the Green Line, following which the Green and Red Lines intersect at the Union station which is the largest underground metro station in the world spanning an area of 25,000 square meters with a capacity to handle around 22,000 passengers per hour.
The station comprises 2 levels and measures 230 meters in length, 50 meters in width and 18 meters in depth. It accommodates business and service outlets for the metro passengers and has 2 entry points fitted with elevators and escalators.
4 tunnels branch out of the Union Square Station linking up with Baniyas Square and Salah Al Din Stations on the Green Line as well as Khalid bin Al Waleed and Al Rigga Stations on the Red Line.
The 10th station on the Green Line is Baniyas Square Station which serves a densely populated and high business traffic area incorporating Naif Souk and a large number of hotels and business outlets.
The 11th station is Palm Deira Station, followed by Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba Stations which feature a typical UAE traditional architectural design. The gist of the design concept revolves around employing the architectural traditional elements used in antique buildings, such as wind towers (Brajeel), oriels (Mashrabia), alleyways (Sukaik), internal arches and others through replicating them in an enhanced manner, while addressing the aesthetic and technical dimensions of those elements such that the heritage-inspired stations would look like a natural expansion of the traditional Souks in the locality, the Heritage and Diving Village, and the antique control towers dotting the locality.
The entrances of the station at the ground level have been designed to match the traditional architectural setting of the area and integrate with the design of the Dubai Creek Shores Development Project; which has the same theme. The 2 stations serve heavily populated areas, trading outlets and banks visited by plenty of visitors.
The 14th station is Al Fahidi Station which serves an area of high-density commercial enterprises comprising shops, hotels and banks and the 2 lines then converge at Khalid bin Al Waleed Station which is one of the most beautiful metro stations worldwide.
The metro route then moves above the ground in an elevated track with the next stop being the 15th station of Oud Metha, nearby Al Nasr Club. The station serves a variety of government entities such as Rashid Hospital, Dubai Media Inc, schools and resident communities clubs.
The 16th station is Dubai Healthcare City which will be the terminus station under the initial operational stage, and the station will mainly serve the hospitals of the Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Wafi Center and hotels in the vicinity.
The Red and Green lines can carry a total of up to 1 million passengers a day and were built at a combined cost of Dh29.5 billion, which the RTA hopes to recoup over the next 40 to 50 years. The lines merge at the Khalid Bin Al Waleed and Union stations.
Adnan Al Hammadi, the head of the rail networks at the RTA, said the organisation would now turn its attention to delivering the Al Sufouh Tram service that runs along Al Sufouh Road and serves the Dubai Marina area.
The project is set to be completed in November of 2014 and aims to serve about 3,000 passengers a day. Plans to build the Dubai Metro Purple and Blue lines are on hold but are likely to be revived as the Al Maktoum International Airport nears completion.
The Blue and Purple lines are part of the future infrastructure and as Al Maktoum Airport nears completion, implementing further Metro lines may be a possibility. There is no need for these lines over the next five or six years.
The RTA is hoping that with the opening of the Green Line and the future opening of the Al Sufouh Tram, the market share of public transport users will rise to 30%, between 11 and 12% of that 30% will be carried by the Metro, 6 to 9 % by bus, and the remainder by taxis and marine transport.