| Dubai Metro | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Dubai Metro train #5018, departing from the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station. | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | مترو دبي |
| Owner | Roads & Transport Authority |
| Locale | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 2 (3 in 2029) |
| Number of stations | 53 |
| Daily ridership | 684,000 (2023) |
| Annual ridership | 249,660,000 (2023 Estimated) |
| Headquarters | Dubai Metro OCC |
| Website | www |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | September 9, 2009 |
| Operator(s) | keolis |
| Infrastructure manager(s) | Keolis-MHI Octopus Cards Limited |
| Train length | 5 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 89.6 km (55.7 mi) |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC third rail[1] |
| Top speed | 95 kmph (59 mph) |
The Dubai Metro (Arabic: مترو دبي) is a rapid transit system in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is currently operated by a consortium of the French company Keolis and Japanese company MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries), as Keolis-MHI.[2] The Dubai Metro is known for its efficiency, cleanliness, and extensive coverage of the city.[citation needed] The metro system consists of a network of two main lines: the Red Line and the Green Line, with more lines planned for future expansion.
The Red Line and Green Line are operational, with a major 15 km (9.3 mi) extension of the Red Line known as Route 2020 to the Expo 2020 site announced in April 2015 and opened in 2021. These first two lines run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere.[3]
All trains are fully automated and driverless, and, together with stations, are air conditioned with platform edge doors. Architecture firm Aedas designed the metro's 45 stations, two depots and operational control centers.[4] The Al Ghurair Investment group were the metro's builders.[5]
The first section of the Red Line, covering 10 stations, was ceremonially inaugurated at 9:09:09 pm on 9 September 2009, by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai,[6] with the line opening to the public at 6 am (UTC 04:00) on 10 September.[7] The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula[8] and either the second in the Arab World (after the Cairo Metro) or the third (if the surface-level, limited-service Baghdad Metro is counted).
More than 110,000 people, or nearly 10 percent of Dubai's population, used the Metro in its first two days of operation.[9] The Dubai Metro carried 10 million passengers from launch on 9 September 2009 to 9 February 2010 with 11 stations operational on the Red Line.[10] Engineering consultancy Atkins provided full multidisciplinary design and management of the civil works on Dubai Metro.[11][12]
Until 2016, the Dubai Metro was the world's longest driverless metro network with a route length of 75 kilometres (47 mi), as recognized by Guinness World Records in 2012.[13] The system was surpassed by the Vancouver SkyTrain in 2016 for the longest fully automated system in the world but regained the title in 2021 with the opening of Route 2020. However, its total route length have since been surpassed by the automated lines of the Singapore MRT. Nevertheless, the Red Line, at 52.1 kilometres (32.4 mi), remains the world's longest driverless single metro line.[14] Dubai plans to launch a smart gate that allows commuters to pay fares for Dubai Metro, Tram, Buses, Taxis and Marine transport by simply passing through them. It will also use facial recognition to let commuters have a seamless experience.[15]
- ^ "Specifications: Dubai Metro – Most Advanced Urban Rail Systems". Railway-Technology.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
- ^ "New Dubai Metro operator looks to take public transport to next level". The National. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Roads & Transport Authority, UAE".
- ^ "Designers transfer Hong Kong know-how to Dubai's new metro". scmp.com. 2 December 2009.
- ^ "Al Ghurair :: Metro Milestones". Archived from the original on 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Dubai Metro Opens on Time But Over Budget". Sky News. 9 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009.
- ^ "Dubai metro unlikely to speed business growth". Ameinfo. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 September 2009.
- ^ "Will metro change Dubai car culture?". BBC News. 11 September 2009.
- ^ "The National – Latest US news, sport & opinion". The National. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Home". Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ "Dubai Metro". atkinsglobal.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "Construction of Dubai Metro extension a feat of engineering | The National". 17 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "Dubai in Guinness for longest driverless metro". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "Longest driverless metro line". Guinness World Records. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Khaleej Times on LinkedIn: #khaleejtimes #dubai #nol #rta #dubaimetro #smartgate". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 24 September 2024.