New Dubai Creek abra station to open in next two weeks

A new abra station on Dubai Creek is due to be opened within the next two weeks, officials have revealed.

The improved Dubai Old Souq station is also set to begin operating again during the coming fortnight.

Soon work will start on upgrading the remaining abra stations as part of a major programme to upgrade services.

Building work on the two stations, which began in December last year, is part of a programme costing more than Dh20 million including design, construction and supervision.

The all-new station is near Baniyas Road outside the Dubai Municipality headquarters on the Deira side of the creek, while the Dubai Old Souq station is on the Bur Dubai bank.

Officials had hoped to have them open by the middle of July, but completion is likely to take a few days longer to allow handrails and other fittings to be installed.

Ahmad Al Hammadi, head of the abra service at Dubai Municipality, said the work would lead to a big improvement in the quality of services.

"Definitely it will increase the facilities and make the services better," he said.

A decision on whether to increase the cost of crossing the creek from the current 50fils has yet to be taken, Al Hammadi said.

Also no decision has been made on whether to increase the cost of hiring an abra for an hour from Dh50 to Dh70.

About 40,000 people use the abra service on an average day, with numbers rising to 60,000 on Fridays.

There are about 100 abras that operate between 5.30 and 11.30am, while 10 run services around the clock.

Alongside building new stations and refurbishing existing ones, Dubai Municipality is improving abra services by putting in safety rings and jackets for abra operators and passengers.

Work to refurbish Al Sabkha station on the Deira side of Dubai Creek began in May and is due to be finished within four months.

Later this year, reconstruction work on Bur Dubai station will start and, once the refurbishment of Al Sabkha is finished, Deira Old Souq station will be upgraded.

A second new station, Al Seef station, will be built near the British Embassy on the Bur Dubai side of the creek, with contractors scheduled to commence work by the middle of September.