Dubai Metro shapes into a super transit means, attracts more passengers

Dubai Metro shapes into a super transit means, attracts more passengers


Roads & Transport Authority – Nashwan Attaa’ee:

Since the foundation stone of the Dubai Metro was laid down through the launch of the project on 09/09/09, the Rail Agency at Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) had paid every attention to the provision of all facilities & potentials to provide classy services to the metro passengers whether at stations or on board the trains in order to make this mode the first choice of all public transport users in Dubai Emirate, as well as the safest, most convenient and enjoyable transit mode in the daily travels of commuters.

The Director of Rail Operation, RTA Rail Agency Ramadan Abdullah, said: “The daily ridership of the metro is currently over 140 thousand passengers i.e. in excess of 4,020,000 passengers per month. This number is quite important when we take into consideration that the period of the metro operation has yet to complete 15 months, so it says a lot to see all these passengers from all community segments, whether residents or visitors, uptake this mass transit mode; which also reflects the associated benefits that contribute to diffusion of using public transport culture among the public.

“The resounding success so far made by the Dubai Metro is viewed as a result of the sound strategies and ambitious plans developed by the RTA and implemented by unsung heroes who are make tireless efforts to the serve metro passengers and their efforts are now culminated in a public upswing to use the metro albeit being unaccustomed to using public transport modes.

“On November 1st, the day designated by the RTA as a Public Transport Day offering the public free ride on all public transit modes including the metro, public buses and the water bus for 24 hours, the metro has lifted 206 thousand passengers compared to 140 thousand passengers on normal days i.e. a 47% rise in the metro ridership. Though the RTA has stipulated that benefiting from this free-ride day is offered to Nol card holders for organizational and statistical purposes, such an increase in the ridership reveals that many people have cared to obtain Nol cards to experiment the use of public transport means including the metro; which is another evidence of the growing culture of using public transport among residents of the Emirate.

“It is anticipated that the number of metro riders will top 170 thousand passengers per day by the end of 2010, meanwhile RTA is working closely with the metro operator to cope efficiently with any increase in the number of metro riders through addressing all aspects of safety which ranks high on the RTA priorities. It also seeks to provide comfortable & enjoyable ride, and minimize the service frequency in addition to the provision of a healthy atmosphere & facilities for special needs passengers, fitting the trains with wireless internet and the provision of directional signage. Additionally, RTA provides fine services at the stations which are characterized by sizable area & fabulous designs combining modernity & tradition in a convenient and safe setting. Furthermore, the Dubai Metro, with all its stations and facilities, is becoming a point of attraction to tourists and visitors pouring in from all over the world, and is making a substantial addition to the services sector; which plays a crucial role in boosting the tourist profile of the Dubai Emirate.

RTA opens five new metro stations mid-October ,Al Tayer: Stations to open include Business Bay, First Gulf Bank, Sharaf DG, Nakheel and Jumeirah Lake

RTA opens five new metro stations mid-October

Al Tayer: Stations to open include Business Bay, First Gulf Bank, Sharaf DG, Nakheel and Jumeirah Lake Towers stations

 22 trains deployed in peak time, 16 trains off-peak time
 Service frequency 6 minutes in peak time, 8 minutes off-peak time
 28 feeder buses to link the new stations with the neighbourhood

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is poised to open five new metro stations on the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, bringing the total number of stations opened to 26 stations.

“Stations to be opened include Business Bay, First Gulf Bank, Sharaf DG, Nakheel and Jumeirah Lake Towers stations, and the remaining three stations will be opened upon completion of real estate and investment projects around them; as they have been especially constructed to serve these projects in which construction works are still underway,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.

Al Tayer added: “Through the Metro operating company, RTA has finalized all trial technical tests of the metro; which included testing the communication systems, auto operation systems, power feed, air-conditioning, onboard electronic systems, lighting systems and the integration & coordination between various subsystems and components. RTA has also finalized the training of front-end and customer service employees deployed at the new stations to attend to various systems. These employees have already joined up their duties in different locations several days ago following the completion of intensive training courses in the fields of customer service, implementation of rules and regulations introduced by the RTA for safeguarding the project facilities, and the enforcement of law against offenders.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director confirmed that the new stations were ready to receive passengers. “22 trains will be deployed during peak time and 16 trains will be in operation during off-peak time, and the service frequency (headway) will be 6 minutes during peak time and 8 minutes during off-peak time. RTA has carried out site surveys covering the neighbourhood of all stations to be opened shortly and accordingly opened new bus routes to feed the metro stations. 28 buses are being deployed to link the metro stations with the surrounding areas and the service is set to run at 13-20 minutes frequency,” he elaborated.

Al Tayer commented on the criteria upon which the new stations have been selected for opening and said: “Stations have been selected based on the extent of population density in the locality served by each station so as to provide convenient services to the inhabitants in the neighbourhood, availability of commercial activities in the area served by each station, availability of government activities in the vicinity of each station, and the projected number of passengers at each station. Nakheel Station is one of the stations expected to be busy with commuters considering its proximity to the American University in Dubai, and the mega residential projects in the vicinity of the station,” added Al Tayer.

Commenting on the metro ridership Al Tayer said: “From 9/9/2009 to 9/9/2010, the Dubai Metro lifted 30.22 million persons and the daily ridership is estimated as 130 thousand passengers. This number is set to rise with the opening of the new five stations to as much as 150 thousand passengers, and the number of the metro users is poised to receive a further big boost with the operation of the Green Line in August 2011; which will serve vital areas with commercial & government activities and huge population density”.

“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai to uplift the infrastructure of transportation sector has paid dividends and proved both successful and effective. The number of users of public transport means, including the Dubai Metro, public buses, water transport and taxis, is approaching one million passengers per day. There is also an improvement in the culture of using public transport by all segments of the community and the drive was particularly helped by the metro service,” stated Al Tayer.

“Using mass transportation brings about a host of benefits & advantages that include the physical & psychological comfort of the user, minimizing crashes, economizing on fuel & maintenance costs of private vehicles and ridding the public from the hassles of finding parking spaces for their vehicles; which has become a challenge facing most modern cities worldwide. Besides that, the use of public transportation effectively reduces environmental pollution resulting from the use of massive numbers of private vehicles,” said Al Tayer in a concluding statement.

Photo captions:
- Mattar Al Tayer
- Stations ready to receive passengers

RTA announces working time of Dubai Metro, paid parking zones during Ramadan

RTA announces working time of Dubai Metro, paid parking zones during Ramadan

Metro operational hours to extend up to 01.00 am

Al Tayer: Evening session of Paid Parking Zones starts from 07 pm to 12 am

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
Dubai Metro service hours during the holy month of Ramadan will start from 06.00 am and continue until 01.00 am (after midnight) during weekdays, and from 02.00 pm to 01.00 am on Fridays, announced H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board & Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA). Al Tayer also announced a revision in the working hours of paid parking zones during Ramadan where the morning session will remain as it is (from 08.00 am to 01.00 pm), and the evening session will start from 07.00 pm to 12.00 am (midnight), thus maintaining the same number of hours set for using parking zones in the evening session without any increase.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director also announced that RTA was keen on delivering top class services to the users of transport means to meet the needs and expectations of customers. “Fixing the metro service time during the holy month of Ramadan came in response to an opinion poll of the public and metro riders about the operational timing. It also came in response to a comprehensive study of mobility movement in the Emirate during Ramadan and the working hours in the public and private sector organizations. The decision also takes into consideration the movement of people which soars after Iftar and Taraweeh prayers and continues late into the night.

“The Dubai Metro has become an important transit mode for considerable numbers of citizens, residents and tourists who use it in their daily travels across the Emirate. Statistics reveal that the number of metro users jumped from 2,373,451 passengers last April to 3,193,087 passengers in May and the number of the metro commuters kept rising to reach 3,262,912 passengers in June. While we were bracing for a drop in the metro ridership in July & August due to the summer vacation, the first week of July 2010 registered a record number of the metro riders with 130,529 commuters using the metro on July 1st (Thursday). Such a rise in the metro ridership is attributed to the vibrant nature of the Dubai city; which has become a summer destination for tourists, thanks to the Dubai Summer Festival and the promotional offers made by hotels and malls which helped transform Dubai into a summer attraction point in the region. Moreover, the Dubai Metro is expected to post an upsurge of passengers over the remaining months of the current year,” said Al Tayer.
Commenting on the working hours of the of the paid parking zones in Ramadan, Al Tayer said: “Revising the parking timing in the evening session was intended to ease the pressure on parking users in the afternoon up to Iftar time as the parking use will be exempted from 01.00 pm up to 07.00 pm, and the fees will apply from 07.00 pm to 12.00 am (midnight) in order to avail the parking space for users. The movement of the public within markets and business districts during Ramadan shifts from day time to the period after Iftar. Thus it was inevitable to take a decision that goes in parallel line with the commercial activity in the Emirate to ensure the availability of parking space for the public during and after Iftar, streamline the traffic movement in all areas of the Emirate, minimize the negative use of parking, and ensure the availability of parking space during the business peak hours of Ramadan”.

Al Tayer concluded by expressing aspiration to see more cooperation of the public with RTA efforts in streamlining the parking process, particularly in heavily populated areas for the benefit of all users.

Captions:
 Mattar Al Tayer
 Dubai Metro has become a key transport means in the Emirate

Dubai Metro ridership hits 23m passengers since Sept ’09: Al Tayer

Dubai Metro ridership hits 23m passengers since Sept ’09: Al Tayer

 130k passengers used the metro on July 1st
 212% rise in the daily ridership of the metro
 185% growth in the number of passengers from October 09 to June 10

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board & Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority, revealed the Dubai Metro ridership broke the barrier of 23 million passengers since the launch of the service on 09/09/09 up to the first of week of July 2010. Al Tayer also stated that the daily ridership of the Metro has reached a new height on Thursday 01 July 2010 clocking 130,529 passengers.

Al Tayer expressed his delight with these statistics which demonstrate that RTA plan to increase mass transport ridership is moving on the right track, and also reflect a transition, though small, in the culture of the community towards using mass transit systems. “People have started to perceive the benefits and advantages of using of public transport such as the psychological & physical comfort in transit, and reduced fuel & vehicle maintenance costs besides the contribution of using public transport to effectively cutting road accident mortalities, and reducing carbon emissions from vehicle exhausts,” he stated.

“The number of metro users is steadily on the rise since the launch of the service on 09 September 2009 with ridership jumping from 1.8 million passengers in October 2009 to 3.3 million passengers in June 2010 recording in the process an increase rate as high as 185 per cent. In September 2009 the number of metro commuters clocked 1,196,920 passengers and the following month saw an increase in the ridership to 1,767,879 passengers. Metro ridership broke the two million passengers barrier in December 2009 and the number kept rising to reach 3,193,087 passengers in May 2010 and touched a higher point last June by clocking 3,262,912 passengers,” continued Al Tayer.

RTA Chairman of the Board & Executive Director further added that the daily ridership of the Dubai Metro jumped from 54,683 passengers in October 2009 to 116,340 passengers last June, recording a 212 per cent rise. July 2010 recorded an all-time high figure in the daily metro ridership as the first day of this month (Thursday) clocked 130,529 passengers. This sustained growth in the metro ridership is attributed to the vibrant nature of Dubai city; which has become a summer tourist destination, thanks to the Dubai Summer Festival and the promotional offers made by hotels & malls, making it a tourist attraction point.

Commenting on passenger breakdown per stations Al Tayer said: “Khalid bin Al Waleed Station is the busiest station as the number of commuters who used the station since the start of the metro operation reached 3,145,210 passengers, followed by Mall of the Emirates Station (3,059,069 passengers), Al Ittihad Station (2,989,879 passengers), Deira City Center Station (2,102,484 passengers), and Al Rashidiya Station (1,829,653 passengers).

“The number of commuters who used the ten new metro stations of which seven have been opened by the end of April and three opened on May 15, witnessed a healthy growth of about two million passengers. Ibn Battuta Station ranked first in the number of users clocking 466,554 passengers, followed by Al Karama Station (276,817 passengers), Dubai Marina Station (231,663 passengers), Emirates Towers Station (211,262 passengers), Emirates Airlines Station (150,670 passengers), Dubai Internet City Station (149,549 passengers), Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport Station (116,000 passengers), Noor Islamic Bank Station (114,581 passengers), Dubai World Trade Center Station (98,805 passengers ), and GGICO Station (93,058 passengers).
In its strategic plan; which is aligned with the Dubai Strategic Plan (Infrastructure Sector), RTA has set top priority to the integration of multi-modal mass transit systems in the emirate; including public buses, Dubai Metro and marine transport modes spanning abra, water bus and water taxi; which has recently been inaugurated recently. Over the next phase, RTA will seek to disseminate the culture of mass transit modes and encourage community members to use them in their daily travels.

“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai to uplift the infrastructure of transportation sector has paid dividends and proved effective. The growth in the number of mass transit mode users reflects a shift in the culture of using public transport by all segments of the community and the drive was particularly helped by the metro service. RTA public transport means, including the Dubai Metro, public buses, water transport and taxis, have lifted more than 288.777 million passengers in 2009 and the daily ridership of mass transit modes topped 842k passengers. This number is likely to grow with the opening of the remaining stations on the Red Line. Dubai Metro is expected to lift about 35 million passengers in 2010, and the number of metro users is expected to pick up sharply with the operation of the Green Line in August 2011 as this line serves vital areas with commercial activities, government offices and high population density,” said Al Tayer in a final remark.

Photo captions:
- Mattar Al Tayer
- Graphic representation of the monthly number of users
- Graphic representation of the daily metro ridership in June
- Dubai Metro ridership on the rise.

RTA opens 3 metro stations on Saturday, Al Tayer: Stations to be opened include GGICO, World Trade Center, and Nour Islamic Bank stations

RTA opens 3 metro stations on Saturday

Al Tayer: Stations to be opened include GGICO, World Trade Center, and Nour Islamic Bank stations

14 Bus feeder bus deployed to link the new stations with the neighbourhood


Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced that 3 metro stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro will be opened coming Saturday, as the contracting consortium has completed all construction works in the metro stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro. The stations to be opened on Saturday are GGICO station, World Trade Center station, and Noor Islamic Bank station. The remaining eight stations on the Red Line will be opened over the next remaining months of 2010.

Al Tayer continued: “The new stations, which are located at busy locations with very high population density, are GGICO; which serves a large number of schools in the locality of Al Garhoud as well as various residential & commercial locations. The World Trade Center station serves mainly the visitors and participants in conferences, conventions and various events hosted by the Dubai World Trade Center throughout the year; whose number is estimated as 200,000 persons p.a., besides serving the hotels, as well as residential & office towers in the neighbourhood. The station will contribute to facilitating the transit from and to events & venues, whether at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center or Dubai Airport Expo Center, and linking up different hotels, malls and key spots in the Central Business District of the city.

“Located at Al Qouz, Noor Islamic Bank station is one the stations believed to prove very popular with high ridership as it is situated in a highly populous area, with various trading & industrial activities around.

“RTA observed the highest global safety standards during the construction of Dubai Metro, paying full attention to the safety of the metro commuters, systems & installations, and verifying the readiness of all operational systems of the trains & stations and testing them in phases. For this end, RTA sought the services of world-class surveyors to assess the safety standards in different phases of the project, used state-of-the-art rail technology, and provided the best means of comfort and entertainment to passengers” added Al Tayer.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director confirmed that the new stations are ready to receive passengers, adding that 20 trains will be operated during peak time and 15 trains during off-peak time and the service will operate at a six minutes frequency (headway) during peak hours and eight minutes frequency during off-peak hours.
Al Tayer also said: “Public Transport Agency has trained bus drivers on the new bus routes to feed the metro stations to be opened, and 14 feeder buses have been deployed to link the metro stations with the neighbourhood of the stations offering service at 13-20 minutes frequency. Accordingly the number of feeder buses of the metro stations reaches 152 buses. Since the launch of the metro service on 09/09/09 till the end of last April, theses buses have lifted 4.5 million passengers.

“The Consortium constructing Dubai Metro has put the final touches of the stations; which included the finishing works of floors, installation & operation of escalators & lifts, internal lighting, fittings for the use of special needs persons such as the tactile floor that guides optically-impaired commuters to their destinations, and audio-visual announcement systems. Due attention has also been given to the finishing works of walls and aesthetic elements of all stations. The interior design of stations has been inspired by their historical implications and themed after the four elements of nature: Water, Air, Fire and Earth. Works also completed in pedestrian footbridges linking the metro stations with both sides of the road. These elevated walkways are air-conditioned and offer a wide space for the movement of the public crossing between the two sides of Sheikh Zayed Road, and have been fitted with travelators and feature top quality finishing in a way that brings about a revolution in the link between pedestrians and the city, thus contributing to minimizing the reliance on private vehicles. Arrangements have also been made for allocating parking spaces for buses and taxis at each station as well as the required directional signage and others.

Al Tayer added: “Serco Co, which is responsible for the Dubai Metro operation, has also finalized all trial technical testing of the metro operations, including testing the communication system, auto operation systems, power feed, air-conditioning, onboard electromechanical systems, signalling & lighting system and integration & coordination with various subsystems and components. The operator has also finalized the training of front-end employees deployed at stations on various systems who have already joined up their duties in different locations several days ago following the completion of intensive training courses in the fields of customer service, implementation of rules and regulations introduced by the RTA for safeguarding the project facilities, and enforcement of the law against offenders.

Photo captions:
- Mattar Al Tayer
- Stations ready to receive passengers

Dubai Metro lifts more than 100k passengers in a single day: RTA

Dubai Metro lifts more than 100k passengers in a single day: RTA

Dubai – Roads & Transport Authority – Fahad Al Maamari:

Dubai Metro has lifted 100,368 commuters in a single day (May 2, 2010) according to stats recently released by Rail Agency at the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) about the metro serve across 18 stations on the Red Line.

The Director of RTA Rail Operation Dep’t at RTA Rail Agency Ramadan Abdullah stated that he was thrilled with the achievement of this milestone in the ridership of Dubai Metro, being an all-time high in the statistics of the metro commuters since the launch of the service on 09/09/09. On the preceding day (May 1st), the metro lifted 83,832 passengers and the number of commuters on the day before clocked 70,594; a trend which reflects the huge public uptake of the Dubai Metro and contributes effectively to realizing of RTA vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All, he noted.

“The metro commuters are taking seriously the instructions and guidance recommended to the users of the metro and stations for the sake of safety of all parties. These include complying with the safety guidelines made to streamline the using of the service and stations, attending to the directions given by the station employees during the peak hours to avoid thronging the platforms during the boarding & alighting process or when the service hours are changed, and ensuring that the balance is topped up when multiple journeys are made” added Ramadan.

“Besides these instructions, there are some guidelines that help the users of the metro and the stations to plan their journeys in advance, link up with public transport modes and benefit from the integrated mass transit system. Commuters are also recommended to recharge their balances early to avoid queuing up for top-ups during peak team.

Dubai Metro Gold Class Cabin attracts various community segments as the number of Nol Gold Card users hit 67k

Dubai Metro Gold Class Cabin attracts various community segments as the number of Nol Gold Card users hit 67k

Dubai – Roads & Transport – Fahad Al Ma’amari:

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has sold 67,184 Nol Gold Cards to the commuters on Dubai Metro’s Gold Class Cabin since the launch of the Metro service on 090909 up to the end of March 2010 at a monthly average of 9,592 Nol Gold cards.
According to the Director of RTA Rail Operation Dep’t Ramadan Abdullah, the Gold Class Cabin of Dubai Metro is subject to a high public uptake as passengers are showing growing desire to take seats in the Gold coach, thanks to the multiple benefits offered to passengers on board.

The growing public trend to commute on the Gold Cabin is fuelled by the fascinating features that characterize it such as the convenient and limited number of seats (18 only), the added privacy, and the ample room available for standing passengers (48 passengers).

“The total number of passengers on board the Gold Cabin is limited and to get a vacant seat is subject to the number of passengers on board the Cabin. Each passenger has the option to stand till a seat becomes vacant by the disembarkation of a passenger, or wait for the next journey. As of 15 April this year, the service is being run at 6-8 minutes headway (train frequency) and during the waiting time passengers can utilize the existing service outlets such as the retail shops, cafes, restaurants, and convenient stores offering added comfort and relaxation to passengers in addition to other services such as newspapers and miscellaneous personal and consumer items” continued Ramadan.

He further added: “Attracting considerable numbers of commuters is a testament to the high class of this Cabin of Dubai Metro; which is providing a continuous service during the week. It operates 196 journeys during each weekday from Saturday to Thursday (from 06 am up to 11 pm) in both directions (98 journeys in each direction), and 112 journeys on Friday (from 02 pm to midnight) in both directions (56 journeys in each direction).

Al Tayer: 7 new Dubai Metro Stations ready to receive passengers tomorrow, Friday

Al Tayer: 7 new Dubai Metro Stations ready to receive passengers tomorrow, Friday

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is all set to open tomorrow, Friday, seven new metro stations; namely: Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Marina, and Ibn Battuta stations. The new stations will receive passengers as of 02 pm tomorrow up to midnight, and reopen for passenger service from Saturday to Thursday from 06 am up to 11 pm.

As of tomorrow, Friday, RTA Unified Automated Fare Collection Dep’t will offer Nol Blue Cards instead of Nol Silver Cards at the same cost and for a limited period; as the RTA had already sold about 2 million Nol Silver Cards since last August.
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA stressed that the new stations were ready to receive passengers. 20 trains will be operated during peak time and 15 trains during off-peak time and the service will be run on a 6 minutes heady (frequency) during peak time and 8 minutes headway during off-peak time.

“The Contractor has put the final touches to the new stations, including the finishing works on the floors, fitting & commissioning of escalators and lifts, internal lighting and fittings required for special needs passengers such as tactile floor guiding optically impaired commuters to their intended destinations in addition to the audio-visual PA systems. Due attention has also been given to the finishing works of walls and aesthetic elements of all stations. The interior design of stations has been inspired by their historical implications and themed after the four elements of nature: Water, Air, Fire and Earth. Inspection was carried out to pedestrian footbridges linking the metro stations with both sides of the road. These elevated walkways are air-conditioned and offer a wide space for the movement of the public crossing between the two sides of Sheikh Zayed Road, and have been fitted with travelators and feature top quality finishing in a way that brings about a revolution in the link between pedestrians and the city, besides advancing the drive towards minimizing the reliance on private vehicles. Inspection also included arrangements made for allocating parking spaces for buses and taxis at each station as well as the required directional signage and others.

Al Tayer added: “Serco Co, which is attending to Dubai Metro operation, has also finalized all trial technical testing of the metro operations, including testing the communication system, auto operation systems, power feed, air-conditioning, onboard electromechanical systems, signaling & lighting system and integration & coordination with various subsystems and components. The operator has also finalized the training of front-end employees deployed at stations on various systems and they have already joined up their duties in different locations several days ago following the completion of intensive training courses in the fields of customer service, implementation of rules and regulations introduced by the RTA for safeguarding the project facilities, and enforcement of the law against offenders.
“Public Transport Agency has completed the training of bus drivers on the new Feeder Bus service for the metro stations to be opened. 28 feeder buses have been deployed to link the metro stations with the neighbourhood and the service will be run at 13-20 minutes headway” stated Al Tayer.

It is worth-mentioning that since its inception on 090909 till the end of last March, Dubai Metro has lifted about 13.68 million passengers and the number of daily ridership is about 80 thousand passengers. The number is geared to rise in excess of 100 thousand passengers with the opening of the new metro stations. The number of the metro users is estimated to hit 35 million passengers in 2010 and is likely to receive a further boost in August 2011 with the operation of the Green Line; which serves vital areas with intense commercial and public activities as well as high population density.

Nol Blue Cards instead of Silver Cards at the same cost for a limited period

RTA Unified Automated Fare Collection Card Dep’t announced that as of today, Friday, it will offer to the public Nol Blue Cards instead of Nol Silver Cards at the same cost and for a limited period as the stock of Nol Silver Cards has run out in an exceptional manner beyond the wildest expectations with the RTA succeeding in selling two million cards since August 2009.
Mohammed Al Mudharreb, Director of RTA Unified Automated Fare Collection Card Dep’t, said: “The current lacking of Nol Silver Cards is attributed to the delay in shipment due to flight cancellations triggered by Iceland volcanic ashes, thus disrupting the shipment of the cargo from Europe where the card suppliers are located.

“In order to ensure the good conduct of this service in a way that ensures safe, smooth and enjoyable transit to all public transport commuters in Dubai Emirate, RTA decided to sell Nol Blue Cards at the same cost of Nol Silver Cards (20 dirham); however the difference between the alternative Nol Blue Card and the standard Nol Blue Card is the lack of the name and photo of the card holder, besides that it is written at the back of the card: “This Card is treated as Nol Silver Card”. Customers can retain this card which will be valid for five years and there will be no need to replace it unless the customer wishes to do so” he said.
Al Mudhareeb continued: “In the meantime, RTA is keen to offer advanced and excellent services to public transport commuters in Dubai Emirate hailing from different backgrounds at world-class standards as part of its ceaseless efforts to attract more community members to use mass transit modes in the emirate.

Wide Reception for the Stations Opening

A number of key officials stated that the opening of the new stations will stimulate the economic and tourist movement in the Emirate and contribute to providing alternative transit modes. H.E. Hilal Saeed Al Marri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Center, stated the opening of several Dubai Metro stations, particularly the Dubai World Trade Center Station, “will contribute to transporting visitors of the exhibitions, conventions and various events hosted by the Dubai World Trade Center the year round. The metro will also actively contribute to alleviating congestion of Dubai city with the completion of other stations and phases”.

Al Marri expected that about 30% of visitors of events held Dubai World Trade Center, whose number is in excess of 1.2 million visitors p.a., would use Dubai Metro as it would ease the transit between from and to the event venues whether at Dubai International Convention Center or Dubai Airport Expo Center. It would also link them with several hotels, shopping malls and Dubai downtown areas; which attract visitors and tourists for tours or shopping purposes, he noted.
Al Marri hailed the vital role played by the RTA in constructing roads and bridges, and providing Dubai with the latest transit modes and facilities fitted to serve citizens, residents and visitors, and facilitating mobility across the city on various modes such the state-of-the-art electricity-powered Dubai Metro.
“Our existing cooperation with the RTA supports our efforts and contribute to realizing our overall objective of making Dubai a leading global destination in the filed of exhibitions, conventions and key events; which corresponds to the futuristic vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for Dubai.

Emirates Station

Ali Al Soori, Senior Vice President - Chairman's Office, Facilities/Projects Management at Emirates Group, welcomed the opening of Emirates Station, which provides a direct link with the Head Office of the Group through a bridge leading to the main lounge of the second floor of the building.
“Our employees have been waiting for long for the opening of this station; which will assist their mobility from their homes to the Head office of Emirates Group. The Metro will also be vital mode for those employees whose work requires shuttling between the Head Office and Dubai International Airport or other places across Dubai” he said.
Al Soori added: “Based on a previous survey, we expect our employees will uptake the metro in great numbers; which will reflect positively on the environment through cutting the number of vehicles they use”.

Dubai Internet City Station

Malek Al Malek, Managing Director, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “Dubai Internet City feel honoured that one of the Dubai Metro stations is to be named after Dubai Internet City. Dubai Internet City is a landmark destination in the UAE and the first among the TECOM Investments free zones. DIC is home to over 25,000 professionals who commute daily from across Dubai and other emirates in the UAE.
He added: “Dubai Internet City Station is located between the Sharaf DG and Nakeel Metro Stations. It will have a minimum of 5 retail outlets in addition to more facilities and services that are available in other metro stations. Feeder bus services named (F32A) will operate from the station to the DIC Community and other destinations in the neighborhood including Marina MS Seaside Mina Al Siyahi Hotel, Arenco Building, HSBC Building, DMC Building 14, Infotech DIC, Ten Sports Channel, Palladium DMC, TECOM MS Seaside, Schlumberger DIC, University of Wollongong Dubai (UOWD DIC), University of Exeter, DKV Conference Center, DKV Block3 and Dubai Properties.

Photo captions:
- Mattar Al Tayer
- Mohammed Al Mudharreb
- Emirates Station one of the new stations served by the Metro
- Dubai Metro ready for serving the new stations.

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May



Al Tayer: Station to be opened include Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Marina and Ibn Battuta stations



28 buses to be deployed to link the stations with surrounding areas



Roads &Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced the opening of 7 stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro on 30 April 2010 and 3 more on 15 May 2010.

“The Consortium undertaking Dubai Metro Project is set to complete all works on the remaining 18 stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro project on 25 April 2010 and 7 stations of which will be opened on 30 April 2010; namely: Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Marina and Ibn Battuta stations. 3 others are planned to be opened on 15 May 2010, namely: GGICO, World Trade Centre and Al Qouz stations, and the remaining 8 stations on the Red Line will be opened over the next months of this year” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer commented on the criteria upon which the new stations have been selected for opening and said: “Stations have been selected based on the extent of population density in the locality served by each station so as to provide convenient services to the inhabitants in the neighbourhood, availability of commercial activities in the area served by each station, availability of government activities in the vicinity of each station, the station integration with other transport modes such as buses & water transport means, and the projected number of commuters at each station”.

“As RTA is keen on maintaining the safety of Dubai Metro users, systems and installations, and assigning considerable importance to the safety & readiness of operating systems of trains and stations as well as phased trial runs, it observed a strict compliance with the highest global safety standards, sought the services of international organizations to assess the safety standards throughout the project phases, introduced cutting-edge rail technology, and provided all means of comfort and luxury to passengers” he said.

Al Tayer added: “RTA has carried out site surveys for the neighbourhood of the Dubai Metro Stations opening shortly and accordingly opened up new bus routes to feed the metro stations. 28 buses are being deployed to link the metro stations with the surrounding areas and the service is set to run at 13-20 minutes headway (intervals)”.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director commented on the metro ridership and said: “Since it had been launched on 9/9/2009 till the end of March last, the Dubai Metro lifted 13.68 million persons and the daily ridership has reached 80k passengers. These numbers are set to rise with the opening of the ten stations this April and next May, and the total ridership of Dubai Metro is expected to hit 35 million passengers by the end of 2010. The number of the metro users is poised to receive a further boost with the operation of the Green Line in August 2011; which will serve vital areas with commercial & government activities and huge population density”.

“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai to uplift the infrastructure of transportation sector has paid dividends and proved effective. The increase in the number of mass transit mode users reflect improvement in the culture of using public transport by all segments of the community and the drive was particularly helped by the metro service. RTA public transport means, including the Dubai Metro, public buses, water transport and taxis, have lifted more than 288.777 million passengers in 2009 and the daily ridership of mass transit modes topped 842k passengers” stated Al Tayer.

“Using mass transportation has a host of benefits that include providing physical & psychological comfort to the user, minimizing crashes, economizing on fuel & maintenance costs of private vehicles and ridding the public from the hassles of finding parking spaces for their vehicles; which has become a challenge facing modern cities worldwide. Besides that, the use of public transportation effectively reduces environmental pollution resulting from the use of massive numbers of private vehicles; which triggers many ailments including respiratory system illnesses” said Al Tayer in a concluding statement.



Photo captions:

- Mattar Al Tayer

- Stations ready to receive passengers

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May

Al Tayer: Station to be opened include Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Marina and Ibn Battuta stations

28 buses to be deployed to link the stations with surrounding areas

Roads &Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced the opening of 7 stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro on 30 April 2010 and 3 more on 15 May 2010.
“The Consortium undertaking Dubai Metro Project is set to complete all works on the remaining 18 stations on the Red Line of Dubai Metro project on 25 April 2010 and 7 stations of which will be opened on 30 April 2010; namely: Emirates, Airport Terminal 1, Al Karama, Emirates Towers, Dubai Internet City, Marina and Ibn Battuta stations. 3 others are planned to be opened on 15 May 2010, namely: GGICO, World Trade Centre and Al Qouz stations, and the remaining 8 stations on the Red Line will be opened over the next months of this year” said Al Tayer.
Al Tayer commented on the criteria upon which the new stations have been selected for opening and said: “Stations have been selected based on the extent of population density in the locality served by each station so as to provide convenient services to the inhabitants in the neighbourhood, availability of commercial activities in the area served by each station, availability of government activities in the vicinity of each station, the station integration with other transport modes such as buses & water transport means, and the projected number of commuters at each station”.
“As RTA is keen on maintaining the safety of Dubai Metro users, systems and installations, and assigning considerable importance to the safety & readiness of operating systems of trains and stations as well as phased trial runs, it observed a strict compliance with the highest global safety standards, sought the services of international organizations to assess the safety standards throughout the project phases, introduced cutting-edge rail technology, and provided all means of comfort and luxury to passengers” he said.
Al Tayer added: “RTA has carried out site surveys for the neighbourhood of the Dubai Metro Stations opening shortly and accordingly opened up new bus routes to feed the metro stations. 28 buses are being deployed to link the metro stations with the surrounding areas and the service is set to run at 13-20 minutes headway (intervals)”.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director commented on the metro ridership and said: “Since it had been launched on 9/9/2009 till the end of March last, the Dubai Metro lifted 13.68 million persons and the daily ridership has reached 80k passengers. These numbers are set to rise with the opening of the ten stations this April and next May, and the total ridership of Dubai Metro is expected to hit 35 million passengers by the end of 2010. The number of the metro users is poised to receive a further boost with the operation of the Green Line in August 2011; which will serve vital areas with commercial & government activities and huge population density”.
“The huge investments pumped by the Government of Dubai to uplift the infrastructure of transportation sector has paid dividends and proved effective. The increase in the number of mass transit mode users reflect improvement in the culture of using public transport by all segments of the community and the drive was particularly helped by the metro service. RTA public transport means, including the Dubai Metro, public buses, water transport and taxis, have lifted more than 288.777 million passengers in 2009 and the daily ridership of mass transit modes topped 842k passengers” stated Al Tayer.
“Using mass transportation has a host of benefits that include providing physical & psychological comfort to the user, minimizing crashes, economizing on fuel & maintenance costs of private vehicles and ridding the public from the hassles of finding parking spaces for their vehicles; which has become a challenge facing modern cities worldwide. Besides that, the use of public transportation effectively reduces environmental pollution resulting from the use of massive numbers of private vehicles; which triggers many ailments including respiratory system illnesses” said Al Tayer in a concluding statement.

Photo captions:
- Mattar Al Tayer
- Stations ready to receive passengers

Dubai Metro scoops Dubai Lynx Middle East’s Outdoor Grand Prix Advertising Award

Dubai Metro scoops Dubai Lynx Middle East’s Outdoor Grand Prix Advertising Award

The prestigious Award was presented during the 3rd Dubai International Advertising Festival

Dubai – Roads & Transport Authority:
The Dubai Metro has won the Best Outdoor Advertising Award (Best use of Ambient Advertising: Small Scale) under the Outdoor Grand Prix Campaign of Dubai Lynx Middle East during the 3rd Dubai International Advertising Festival which was held from 14 to 16 March 2010 in Dubai, UAE.

“RTA is delighted with landing this coveted prize; which denotes another success of the RTA in the field of advertising & media judged by this prestigious Grand Prix Award; which tantamount to an Excellence Golden Class Award and the highest awarded by the Dubai Lynx in this category, ahead of the silver category award, followed by the bronze one.

RTA has teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai in an advertising campaign with the aim of encouraging the use of mass transportation in the Emirate, with special emphasis on Dubai Metro. The award-winning ad displayed 4 images of abandoned cars covered by dust whose owners no longer needed to use them as they opted to use the metro in their travel across the Emirate.

This campaign goes beyond the customary & conventional advertising conceptual methods seen in newspapers, television or outdoor ad signage. It is a newly created method based on writing different expressions on dusty cars with the aim of promoting Dubai Metro rides, using vehicles owned by individuals with whom the RTA has made prior coordination in order to realize the intended advertising purposes.
It is worth-noting that since the start of its trial run in the last quarter of last, the Dubai Metro has so far clinched 7 awards; namely: Dubai Lynx Middle East Best Outdoor Advertising Award, Middle East Architect Awards Infrastructure Project of the Year 2009 Award, Cityscape Transport & Tourism Sector Award 2009, Gulf-Middle East Best Infrastructure Award 2009, and The Gulf Engineering Union's Driverless Train Excellence & Innovation Award 2009 (Kuwait).

The Dubai International Advertising Festival, which is based at the Dubai Media City, hosts TV/Cinema creative excellence experts in the Middle East and North Africa region along with media & advertising companies, in an annual event for distribution of awards to innovators spanning more than 9 categories including Outdoor, TV/Cinema, Print, Radio, and Craft among others.

Project completion hits 97% in Rashidiya Metro Station bridges, 95% in Meydan bridges: Al Tayer

Project completion hits 97% in Rashidiya Metro Station bridges, 95% in Meydan bridges: Al Tayer

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced that project completion has reached 97 per cent in the bridges at the approaches of the entry/exit points of Rashidiya Metro Station, and 95 per cent of bridges and roads leading to Meydan Racecourse at Nad al-Sheba area.

Bridges leading to Rashidiya Metro Station are currently undergoing final touches by the contracting company in preparation for opening. The project includes construction of directional ramps at the intersection of Emirates Road and Khawaneej Road. It also includes construction of two bridges at Khawaneej Road in order to facilitate vehicular movement from and to the Park and Ride facility of Rashidiya Metro Station with a total length of 2.5 km. Early last year RTA has opened phase one of the project involving a bridge leading to the entry of the Parking lot of the station; which has a capacity to house about 2700 vehicles.

“Construction of the project, which costs about 699 million dirham, comes as part of RTA drive to improve and upgrade the network of main roads in the emirate of Dubai, and link the Park-and-Ride facilities of the metro stations with the roads network within Dubai Emirate. Rashidiya Station is one of the key metro stations as it is the starting point of Dubai Metro Red Line. The station extends 130 meters in length and 30 meters in width and has a capacity to handle 11,000 passengers per hour per direction. The station has two entry points fitted with escalators and lifts to ease the movement of commuters to and from the station, and a multi-level parking lot with a capacity to accommodate 2714 vehicles in order to encourage the public to use the metro in their travels across the emirate. The ground floor of the complex has been designated for public transport modes that feed the station, and has been designed to accommodate articulated and double-deck buses and to ensure smooth traffic flow and accommodate a large number of buses at a time. The building has also been linked with footbridges extending to the opposite side of the road leading to the metro station such that the period needed to travel from the farthest point of a parking slot will not exceed 3 minutes, while addressing all safety aspects of passenger movement within the parking lot.

Al Tayer revealed that construction of Roads & Bridges Project leading to Meydan Racecourse reached an advanced stage and the contractor is about to finalize the project which encompasses construction of bridges extending 2025 meters, including two entry/exit bridges extending 710 meters and a VIP bridge linking Meydan with Dubai-Al Ain Road extending 1315 meters.

“Construction works in the project will be finalized with the launch of the 15th Dubai World Cup on 27 March 2010. The bridges will serve Meydan project; which covers an area of 76 million square feet and encompasses the biggest horseracing racetrack in the world in addition to an hotel, golf courses, malls, recreational facilities, modern stables, Godolphin gallery, waterways, restaurants and parking lots for about 10,000 vehicles.

Photo caption:
 Mattar Al Tayer
 Layout of bridges leading to Rashidiya Station Project
 Layout of bridges leading to Meydan Project

Burj Dubai Metro Station interior photos, Burj Khalifa Metro Station ,Dubai Mall station,Dubai Metro, 25/January/2010

RTA Opens Burj Dubai Metro Station on Monday, deploys 11 Feeder buses

RTA Opens Burj Dubai Metro Station on Monday, deploys 11 Feeder buses


Opening of the station is synchronized with the opening of Burj Dubai


Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:

H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced that RTA will officially open Burj Dubai metro station on Monday 04 January 2010 to mark the opening of Burj Dubai the tallest tower in the world.

“Burj Dubai is one of the elevated metro stations with the concourse and platform situated at a level upper than the elevated metro track, extending 132 meters in length and 29 meters in width. The station has a capacity to handle 11 thousand passengers per hour per direction, and has two entry points fitted with escalators together with lifts. According to the currently available indicators, the station is expected to be used by about 10 thousand passengers everyday; and the daily number is set to rise during weekends and holidays to 19 thousand persons”.

RTA Chairman and Executive Director added: “Burj Dubai Station mainly serves Burj Dubai district, which spans an area of 45 million square feet. It harbours residential, commercial, and recreational facilities as well as restaurants, retail outlets, the world’s tallest tower Burj Dubai, Dubai Mall, 30 thousand residential units, 9 world-class hotels, 19 residential towers, and a Boulevard measuring 73m in width and 3.5km length. The Station also serves in the other side of the road Jumeirah 2; which has a high population density.

“RTA has deployed 11 buses to operate on two routes to feed Burj Dubai Station, where six buses will operate on Route F13 at 10 minutes interval. The Route links Burj Dubai Station with Burj Dubai area; which includes Dubai Mall, The Palace & The Address hotels, the Boulevard and other locations in the area. Route F16 has 5 buses operating at 10 minutes interval to link Burj Dubai Station with Jumeirah 2. Buses start off the Station and pass across Mazaya Center, Al Wasl Road and Al Uruba Road before heading back to the Metro Station.

“The shell-shaped metro stations had been purposely built to enhance safety and security of the public as the design was intended to be clear, simple and with minimum walking distance. Entry points of stations are integrated with other transport modes; providing a link with pedestrian movement and communication with the ambient environment of the station. The interior design of the metro stations is inspired by the four elements of nature; air, earth, fire and water, and a heritage-themed design will be applied to Al Ras and Al Ghubaiba Stations.

The circular passenger movement at the stations will flow smoothly allowing a visibility range that does not rely on excessive signage. Therefore the areas available at the station lounges were intended to be free from clustered elements and barriers as much as possible in order to maintain optical communication. Moreover, the stations have been designed to be fully equipped with accessories and facilities to serve disabled travelers, strollers and commuters with personal luggage.

Captions:

Mattar Al Tayer
Burj Dubai Station ready for receiving passengers on January 4th