Our metro experience

Enjoyable first ride on the Metro

I never expected to enjoy my first ride on the Metro as much as I did. It was just a train ride after all — over the city I've grown up in and know so well.

What could be more mundane? But when I joined in the frenzy of excited strangers clicking photographs and found myself cheerfully (and rather rudely) waving goodbye to the endless queues of traffic below — it was a pleasant surprise and incredibly cathartic! My friend and I went the whole nine yards on a Sunday evening, from Rashidiya all the way to Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station.

The 50-minute ride went by with seamless precision and the feeder bus ride from the Metro station to Ibn Battuta Mall was just as convenient. For a mere Dh11, I was able to travel, and more importantly, enjoy, a journey I would usually dread. That's when I decided — it may have been my first time on the Metro, but it definitely wasn't going to be my last.

Metro adventure

It was the culmination of many days of planning. Having bought my ticket on 09.09.09, it was time to embark on the historic journey along with my wife and four-year-old son. The day we chose was the second day of Eid. We parked our car in the multi-level complex at Rashidiya, and caught the train to Mall of the Emirates. The journey was smooth, setting aside all our fears of a roller-coaster ride. My son even managed to spot my office from the train and I eavesdropped on a conversation which revolved around how many stations were yet to open and how it would benefit just about everyone once the entire system became operational. However, the return leg was more adventurous. After spending about four hours at the mall, when we walked towards the exit, we noticed a line snaking into the mall. We walked to the front only to find out that we would have to wait it out to gain entry onto the platform. A good sweaty hour later, we managed to get back onto the train to Rashidiya. Not too bad at all for one of the busiest days since the Metro opened in Dubai.