UAE | Traffic and Transport
Commuters warned against misusing Metro
Trains run smoothly as RTA reminds passengers of hefty fine for pressing emergency button unnecessarily.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
- Published: 22:39 September 12, 2009
- The emergency stop button is seen in a Metro carriage with clear instructions in white against a red backdrop.
- Image Credit: Javed Nawab/Gulf News
Dubai: "Misuse" of the Metro by some commuters had led to intermittent service with delays at stations and causing inconvenience to commuters during the first two days of the Metro operation, an RTA official said.
Peyman Younes Parham, an RTA spokesperson, said: "Some passengers on board pushed emergency buttons to open or close the doors or just for fun and this led to delays in the train service," he said, adding that most of the commuters do not yet know how to use the train.
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"This irresponsible behaviour by some commuters will not be tolerated. We have cameras in every compartment and can trace a passenger if he or she presses the emergency button without any valid reason," said Parham.
Anyone who pushes the emergency button if there is no real emergency will face a Dh2,000 fine, warned the RTA. For added emphasis, only something of the nature of a life-threatening situation on board the train would be taken for a 'real emergency'.
A real emergency means if someone is in a life-threatening situation on board the train.
A senior official at the Metro Operations office told Gulf News that a train automatically changes over to manual mode if anyone pushes an emergency button and it stops at the nearest station.
Another senior RTA official appealed to commuters not to flood the trains and stations because the system is not fully operational yet.
Of the 44 trains planned 11 are being operated at the moment and 10 out of 29 stations are open.
Parham said the Metro operation was running smoothly on Saturday, the third day of operation for the public.
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The RTA spokesperson, said "misuse" of the Metro service by some commuters had caused the inconvenience to fellow commuters.
"Some passengers on board pushed emergency buttons to open or close the doors or just for fun and this led to delays in the train service," he said.
"This irresponsible behaviour by some commuters will not be tolerated. We have cameras in every compartment and can trace a passenger if he or she presses the emergency button without any real emergency," said Parham.
Emergency buttons are provided in each of the five compartments of a train. Some people pushed the button at least five times in one train and it led to service being disrupted for a long time, the official said.
Passengers on board should not try to force open the doors because they will not open unless a staff member "resets" the emergency button. Again, this has to be done at the "same button and the same compartment".
To a question as to why no physical deterrent had been provided to discourage indiscriminate use of the button, the official said it had been installed in keeping with international safety standards. "Passengers should behave responsibly and avoid pushing this button," he added.
He further said service on an entire line would be affected if one train was stopped because of an emergency. "This is part of our automatic train control system to avoid any crashes or accidents and to ensure safety of passengers," he added.
People who thronged the trains for joy rides during the first two days of the Metro operations had complained of delays and service disruption.
Read in-depth report on Dubai Metro
"It was an overwhelming response as more than 114,000 people rode the Metro trains during the first two days while thousands of others could not even enter the stations," said the official.
Around 67,000 passengers rode the train on Thursday - the first day of the Metro operation and the RTA even extended the operation time for at least two hours until 2am just to oblige enthusiastic crowds on the first day.
About 47,000 passengers used the train during the half-day service on Friday. Trains normally operate from 2pm to 12 midnight on Fridays.
The RTA official also requested people to get off the train on completing their journey. "Most of the passengers did not get off the trains and they continued to travel back and forth. This also led to 'jams' at the stations because thousands of passengers waiting at the stations could not board the train as there was no room inside the trains," he noted.
Another senior RTA official appealed to the commuters not to throng the trains and stations because the system is not fully operational. Only 11 out of 44 trains are being operated and just 10 out of 29 stations are open.
"We understand the excitement of residents but let me ensure them that the Metro service will improve with the addition of more trains and opening of all the stations by February 2010. The train headway which is currently 10 minutes will reduce to 3 to 4 minutes once the system is fully operational and there will be no issues of overcrowding," he added.
Meanwhile, Parham said at least two extra temporary ticket counters have been opened at each station to help people buy Nol Cards. "Our staff is at the ticket machines as well to help commuters get their tickets," he said.
Last train timings at variance
Although the Dubai Metro runs from 6am to 12am, timings are not uniform for the arrival of the first train and the departure of the last train at different stations.
Commuters should check timings for stations they will be using regularly to ride the Metro because the time for the first and the last train for every station is different.
Normal operating hours for the Metro are from 6am to 12am, from Saturday to Thursday (during Ramadan), and from 2pm to 12 am on Fridays but these timings are only indicative of when the first train leaves any station or the last one enters a station.
Your comments
It was really a pity to see how recklessly and chaotically people were behaving on the first day of the metro operations. Being human is now missing from most of us, I guess!
If the government is providing us with a distinctive facility, it must be appreciated and taken very modestly. I would like to request people to be patient and wise and prove to the government and concerned authorities that if they will take a step to facilitate us, we shall take it very positively and will not let them down whatsoever.
Sofia Adeel
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 13, 2009, 16:40
We should respect and behave responsibly, as this facility provided by the government is in the interest of the public, to help us reach our destinations efficiently and safely.
Kishore Lala
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 13, 2009, 14:56
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