Riders react: Is the Dubai Metro less crowded thanks to the extra Red Line route?

Dubai: In a move aimed at tackling peak-hour congestion, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced a new direct route on the Dubai Metro Red Line. The new service connects from Centrepoint Station to Al Fardan Exchange Station, offering commuters an additional option during the busy morning and evening periods.

This new route operates during peak hours - 7am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm and runs alongside the two existing direct services: Centrepoint to Expo 2020, and Centrepoint to Life Pharmacy Station.

The RTA says the new service will help reduce congestion and provide more flexibility for commuters who do not need to travel the entire length of the Red Line. By splitting passenger flow, the new route aims to shorten journey times and reduce crowding on trains, especially at key interchange stations.

Some regular metro commuters have welcomed the change.

“It made me think about how much this can actually change commuting for people," she said. "Especially during rush hours, like around 5pm when offices end, the metro gets so crowded that sometimes I wait almost 30 minutes just to get on. If this new system helps ease that congestion, it will not only make commuting safer but also more enjoyable overall," said Sunaira Sohail.

Gulf News spoke with commuters at two busy stations on the Red Line, Onpassive and Business Bay, to gauge their reactions and even reached out to a few via social media. The general consensus is a mix of positive feedback and a call for even more significant changes.

While some commuters say the new route does not directly impact their journey because their destination is before Al Fardan Exchange Metro Station, they appreciate the shorter wait times and the extra train during peak hours. “I wait a maximum of four to five minutes for my train,” one user noted.

For others whose destinations are beyond Al Fardan Exchange Metro Station, the waiting time may have increased slightly but they feel the trade-off is worth it due to the reduced crowds.

A commuter at Onpassive Station, whose final destination is on the Expo 2020 route, explained that the additional service has helped minimise the rush for cabins. In fact, they have noticed this extra train for a few months.

"My final destination is Arjan on the Expo 2020 route," the commuter said. "I can hop on the train towards Al Fardan or go to Life Pharmacy and stop at National Paints, which is an interchange station for Life Pharmacy or Expo 2020, but I will also have to wait there for a maximum of five minutes for the train towards Expo. So for me, I'd rather wait a few extra minutes at Onpassive for the train going directly to the Expo 2020 route."

Anna Johnykutty, who travels from Business Bay to Al Nahda, also noticed a change. "I was surprised it had fewer folks than it usually did," she said, adding that she has seen "less of a crowd when the metro arrives." While she wishes the change was "more significant," she remains positive. "As long as I get to enter the train without a crowd of people," she added.

One commuter, who uses the Red Line daily from Dubai Internet City Metro Station to the Expo 2020 route, highlighted the issues faced at busy stops like Mall of the Emirates, Business Bay, and ADCB during peak hours.

“Most of the times people would end up missing their metro because of the crowd, especially around 5pm when people are heading back home after work,” she said. “I take the Business Bay metro in the evenings after work and it can become quite busy during the peak time of 4-8pm.”

She believes the new route is a much-needed solution. "I personally think the extra direct route is most definitely going to be helpful for commuters because there are technically that many more commuters and this just meets the demand," she explained.

While many commuters agree that crowds are still unavoidable during peak hours, they have noticed that passengers are now splitting between three different end stations, leaving a little more room to enter the train cabin.

One passenger at Business Bay Station noted that while the extra train is definitely needed, commuters now need to pay close attention to the destination displayed on the screens and the announcements.