Dubai: Congestion on Dubai Metro is likely to ease considerably with the introduction of short trips to and from some of the busiest stations along the Red Line, starting today (Sunday).
Apart from short trips, covering small segments on the Red Line, additional regular trips will operate on both the Red and Green lines throughout the week. The upgrade in operations comes following complaints of congestion on the busy network, with commuters having to skip trains for lack of space, particularly during peak hours on the Red Line.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Saturday announced that 276 more trips, including short trips, will be added to the network. The upgrade will mean 154 additional trips run on the Red Line and 122 on the Green Line throughout the week.
According to data supplied by RTA earlier this year, more than 31,000 people use the metro per hour early in the morning while the evening congestion is reflected by the ridership figure of 53,000 per hour.
The morning rush hours are from 7am to 9am and the evening peak hours are from 4.30pm to 8pm.
Currently, the RTA operates 71 trains during peak hours — 54 on the Red Line and 17 on the Green Line. During peak hours, the trains run at a frequency of 2 minutes 38 seconds on the Red Line and every five minutes on the Green Line.
Off peak, the trains run at a headway of six to eight minutes on the Red Line and seven to eight minutes on the Green Line.
However, am RTA spokesperson clarified that more trips won’t mean more trains.
“The changes will be affected through a change in operational arrangement,” Abdul Mohsin Ebrahim Younus, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency, said.
Gulf News reported in December last year that RTA is studying the option of introducing short trips on busier segments of the Red Line, which the authority has implemented now, in an attempt to address morning rush.
The Red Line will have three short trips each day from Saturday to Thursday and five short trips on Fridays.
“Catering to the early morning passengers, three additional short trips will operate each day from Saturday to Thursday and five short trips on Fridays on the Red Line. On weekdays, two of these trips will be heading towards Rashidiya and one trip will be heading towards UAE Exchange station,” said Younus, explaining the details of the operation.
Younus said that on Fridays, five additional trips will operate, three of which heading towards Rashidiya and two will be bound for UAE Exchange.
The metro’s popularity has seen continued growth in ridership, with the current daily average ridership standing at around 550,000.
Mohammad Nayeem, a regular metro user, told Gulf News that congestion during peak hours has become a big concern for all commuters.
“It is difficult to step into a metro without having to skip a few trains. I hope additional trips will help improve the situation,” said Nayeem.
Another commuter, Rajagopalan Nair, said: “It is a good idea to have short trips as this will mean fewer people on the trains as these trains will not serve the entire network. I am looking forward to enjoying my trips now.”
Timings
On weekdays, the first trip will start at 6.07am from Dubai Internet City (DIC) station and will reach Al Rashidiya station at 6.55am.
The second trip will start at 6.27am from Al Jafliya station, reaching Rashidiya station at 6.50am.
The third short trip will start at 6.02am from BurJuman station and will reach UAE Exchange station at 6.52am.
On Fridays, the first trip will start at 10.14am from Dubai Internet City (DIC) station and reach Rashidiya station at 11.02am. The second trip will start at 10.23am from Business Bay station and reach Rashidiya station at 10.56am.
The third trip will start at 10:31am from the Burjuman station, reaching Rashidiya station at 10.51am.
The fourth trip will operate on the Red Line starting at 10.05am from Deira City Centre (DCC) station, reaching UAE Exchange station at 11.02am.
The fifth trip will operate on the Red Line, starting at 10.06am from Al Jafliya station, reaching UAE Exchange at 10.56am.
Currently, two short trips are already operating, starting from BurJuman station at 10.19am and 10.25am and reaching Rashidiya station at 10.39am and 10.45am.
On Saturdays, three additional trips would operate on the Red Line.
The first one will start at 6:03am from DIC station and reach Rashidiya station at 6:51am.
The second trip will start at 6:21am from Al Jafliya station and reach Rashidiya station at 6:44am, while the third trip will start at 6:02am from Burjuman station and reach the UAE Exchange station at 6:52am.
