The Dubai Metro was constructed by the Al Ghurair Investment group and was officially opened for the public's attention on 9 September 2009. Approximately 280.000 passengers have used the metro services during the first week of its operation. After a month of operation, the metro managed to carry 1.740.578 passengers which equals 60.000 passengers a day. By October 2010 after the expansion of the subway the passenger traffic has reached 130.000 passengers a day and to 377.000 passengers a day in 2013.
Currently, the metro is operated by Serco, a British provider of the public services, after the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority has signed the contract with them.
There are two lines are operational at the Dubai Metro: Red Line and Green Line. All trains of the metro are driverless and fully automated. There are 45 stations located on those two metro lines.
The Red Line was officially opened on 9 September 2009 and presented to the public's attention on 10 September 2009. The line covers 29 stations; however, it was announced in April 2015 that the line would be extended for another 15 kilometers from Ibn Battuta to the Expo 2020 location. The length of the area covered by the line reaches 52.1 kilometers out of which only 5 kilometers are underground and the trip time from the first to the last station will take approximately 69-70 minutes. That is the longest driverless single metro line in the world. Red Line trains are running every 7 minutes off-peak, with the minimum headway of 16 trains per hour.
The Green Line was officially opened on 9 September 2011 with 18 stations located across the line. Later, in March 2014, two more stations were added. The length of the area covered by the line reaches 22.5 kilometers out of which 8 kilometers are underground and the trip time from the first to the last station will take approximately 39-40 minutes.
There are several options for tourists and local citizens of Dubai when purchasing the ticket pass at the metro. Nol Cards, contactless smart cards, might be bought and used while riding via the subway. Red Tickets will be a good option for travelers or occasional visitors and cost 6 AED. Silver NOL Cards is suitable for residents and tourists and cost 25 AED. Gold NOL Cards is ideal for residents and tourists that prefer to travel in the first class carriages and cost 25 AED. Blue NOL Cards is available for residents only and is personalized and cost 70 AED. Tickets and cards might be purchased from all of the three terminals of the Dubai International Airport, from Al Gubaiba Bus Station, Gold Souq Bus Station, Jebel Ali Bus Station, and Sabkha Bus Station.
The Route 2020 is under construction now. The line is planned to be 15 kilometers long and includes 7 new stations. The line will take place at Nakheel Harbour and Tower (Dubai Metro) and end at the Expo 2020 location.
The RTA has also established the on-going plans to expand the existing Green Line by 12 stations and 24 kilometers and Red Line by six new stations and 15.5 kilometers. Moreover, few more lines are planned to be constructed: Purple Line, Blue Line, Pink Line, and Gold Line. That will expand the overall metro system by 58 stations and 91 kilometers by 2025.
Dubai Metro Map
