Dubai, May 01: Metro connections in Dubai turned friendlier on Friday when seven more stations opened on the Red Line to the relief and delight of the commuting public.
Sudiyono Sudy, a chef with the Jumeirah Group of hotels who boarded the train at Dubai Marina, was pleased. “I need to take the train three times a week because we have training programmes at different hotels,” he said. “The new stations that are located close to the hotels now has made it very convenient for me.”
The additional stations now fully operational are Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Marina and Ibn Battuta. They opened at 2pm and the turnout increased as the day rolled on.
Donna Lecaros can now take a train from next to her office in Emirates Towers. “I may not take it everyday due to the luggage I carry, but most certainly will consider it sometimes,” the Emirates employee said.
At morning and evening peak hours, a train will be available every six minutes. In non-peak hours, a train will be available every eight minutes.
Twenty-eight feeder buses have been deployed to link each metro station with the contiguous neighbourhood to aid inter-nodal transport convenience in Dubai.
Hilal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, expects about 30 per cent of visitors to events at the centre to use the Metro as more stations open up.
At Dubai Internet City, more than 25,000 professionals can factor the Metro into their daily schedule. Architect Deema Aburizik, who is based there, will take advantage of it. “I am an advocate of public transport,” she said. “It’s just better to take eco-friendly alternatives when you have them.”
The number of Metro users is estimated to reach 35 million passengers in 2010. With the Green Line opening in August 2011, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) expects a further boost in passenger volume in areas with intense commercial and public activities.
–Agencies