During the launch ceremony of the green line of the Dubai Metro, Sheikh Mohammed opened a special sign issued by the Guinness Book of Records, which confirms that the first 52-kilometer red line of the city metro is the longest automated railroad in the world. In addition, Sheikh Mohammed took part in watching a documentary film, which talked about the progress of construction and development of Dubai's infrastructure.
Together with the ruler of Dubai, the opening ceremony was attended by his sons - Sheikh Hamdan bin Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of the Emirate, and Sheikh Maktum bin Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, as well as other sheikhs, ministers and senior officials.
Inspection of the green metro line began at the Dubai Healthcare City station, where a sign was posted with the words: “Thanks to God, we turned our dreams into reality and impressive achievements,” and ended at the terminal station - Etisalat in Al Qusias.
At Al Fahidi Station, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Committee, Mattar Al Thayer, made a presentation on the green line infrastructure and its stations. In particular, Mr. Al Thayer noted that Al Fahidi station alone will be able to serve more than 150 thousand passengers.
To date, 16 of the 18 stations are open and operating on the green line of the Dubai Metro. Etisalat Station, located in the Al Qusais area near the Emirates Road, has multi-level parking for 2,350 cars, as well as a bus station. During the peak hours, the green line will be served by 14 trains, during off-peak hours - 10 trains. The interval between trains will vary from six to eight minutes.
The total number of trains traveling on both lines during peak hours will reach 50, at off-peak times - 28. In addition, according to Mattar Al Thayer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of RTA, the hours of the Dubai Metro have been increased since September. In particular, from Saturday to Wednesday, the metro is now open until midnight, on Thursdays and Fridays - until 1.00 at night. The increase in hours of operation applies to both the "red" and the "green" lines. "The Dubai Metro starts working all days of the week except Friday from 6.00," said Mr. Al Thayer, "on Fridays, it opens at 13.00."
The decision to change the metro schedule in Dubai is synchronized with the launch of the green metro line, as it is designed to serve important areas of the city with a high population density, as well as the presence of large shopping centers visited by residents and visitors of the city. This decision is also based on the results of the RTA study and analysis of the responses and wishes of metro users on how and for how long it should work. In particular, passengers noted in their responses that the hours of operation of the metro should coincide with the opening hours of shopping centers of the city and places of recreation and entertainment.
