UAE | Traffic and Transport

'Complete journey planner' finalised

Service has been designed so no passenger will have to walk more than 100 metres from their home to get to bus and metro stations

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
  • Published: 23:51 January 15, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • The interior of a Metro station. The interiors of the stations are based on four themes: fire, earth water and air.
  • Image Credit: Supplied picture
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Dubai: The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has finished its 'complete journey planner' to encourage people to use the Dubai Metro.

"Since many residents believe that people will not use the metro during the summer months when the average temperature is recorded at above 40C the complete journey planner is the answer to their doubts," said Abdul Majid Al Khaja, Chief Executive Officer of the RTA's Rail Agency.

"We have been working for the past one and half years on the complete journey planner in cooperation with the Public Transport, the Taxi and the Marine Agencies at the RTA to provide a complete solution to passengers to encourage them to use all modes of public transport," he said.

Bus feeder service

According to Al Khaja, there will be a bus feeder service for the metro stations. The RTA will increase the number of its current 700 public transport buses to 2,500 before the metro operation is launched.

There will be a localised bus feeder service from every metro station into the community. The service has been planned in a way that no passenger will have to walk more than 100 metres from their home to get to the bus and metro station.

Passengers will travel in comfort even during the hot summer months because the trains, stations, footbridges, buses and bus stops will be air-conditioned.

Every station will have a taxi service and also a drop off and pick up facility for private cars.

Also there will be three major multistorey car parks. There will be parking for 6,000 cars in Al Ghusais near Emirates Road, a parking plaza with 3,000 parking spaces is being built at Rashidiya Station near Emirates Road and another multistorey car park with a capacity for 2,700 cars will be available at the Jebel Ali Industrial Area station.

"People in Dubai will be tempted to use the Dubai Metro because it will be comfortable, punctual, safe and reliable," Al Khaja said.

Fares

Fares for the Dubai Metro will be affordable for all segments of society, said Abdul Majid Al Khaja, Chief Executive Officer of the Rail Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

"Although the fares have not been decided yet the RTA can guarantee that they will be affordable for all because our emphasis is to have the maximum numbers of riders," Al Khaja added.

He said the RTA had already completed a study on various segments of society including the low, medium and high income population.

"A fare structure will be announced soon — well before the commissioning of the operation. It will be decided with the approval of the government," he said.

Al Khaja noted that the success of a metro system depends on having the maximum passengers and "we cannot have them unless we make the system affordable.

"The Metro is not supposed to be profitable at all. All over the world, governments have subsidised this industry, returns come from indirect benefits such as advertising, an influx of tourists, less traffic congestion, travel time being cut and business mobility," he said.

Dubai loses around Dh4.5 billion annually due to traffic congestion.

He said that the fare structure will be very comprehensive and is being planned to encourage people to use the metro instead of private cars.

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