DUBAI METRO 2024

Here we have a timelapse on the metro from Ibn Battutu to Deira City Centre.

While the Metro has created an easy commute for thousands of Dubai residents, it's also meant good business for many establishments near the stations. Malls near the stations have witnessed an increase in customer traffic since the train line's opening.

Passenger numbers are expected to hit 40 million by the end of the year, Mattar Al Tayyer, CEO of the Road and Transport Authority, said, with the opening of the remaining stations on the Red Line, the first of two lines to enter service in the city of around two million people.

Being on a student budget is tough. It's hard when you have to count every dirham you spend. That's why many students in Dubai use the Dubai Metro to travel around. Let's face it, it's the cheapest way to get around. Sabreen Abd Al Sakhi, a Sudanese national, uses the Metro every day to go to and from her summer job.

News of Dubai Metro opening last year was the reason for Arif Khan's decision to continue living in the UAE. Now, he does not ride it any more. Khan, a Pakistani national, stopped riding the Metro when he had to move to Al Ghusais with his family in March.

The Metro has become a daily habit that users say they cannot give up even if it often takes longer to get to work and they don’t always get a seat. A year after its launch, commuters say the Metro is vital to their travels. Some have ditched their cars, while others such as Mahesh Sadh, 29, an accounts executive, say they will never buy a car because of the independence and economy the Metro offers.

Analysts had anticipated a boost in property prices, with sellers hoping to charge a premium for property around the stations when the Metro opened last year. That has not panned out as the impact of the global economic crisis and the continuing glut of available residences have combined to keep prices depressed.

Access to Gitex Shopper has never been easier thanks to the Dubai Metro, with a complimentary shuttle bus service running from the Rashidiya metro station for the short distance to the Airport Expo Dubai. Additional free parking has also been provided at the nearby Sheikh Hamdan Mosque, with regular shuttle buses in operation.

As the Roads and Transport Authority prepares to celebrate one year since the first train chugged out of the Mall of the Emirates station, Gulf News charts historic moments of the journey.

Saudi Arabia yesterday unveiled plans for a Metro system in Jeddah, just as construction work begins on the equivalent network system in the capital. The Metro will consist of three lines: one will connect the Old Makkah Road to Sari Road; one will run along Prince Majed Street from King Abdul Aziz International Airport to the site of the old airport, and a third along Palestine Road.