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The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network in the United ArabEmirates city of Dubai. The Red Line is partly operational, the Green Line is still under construction, and further lines are planned. These first two lines run underground in thecity centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere.[2] All trains and stations are air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.

The first section of the Red Line, covering 10 stations, was ceremonially inaugurated at9:09:09 PM on September 9, 2009, by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai,[3] with the line opening to the public at 6 AM on September 10.[4] The DubaiMetro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula.[5] More than 110,000 people, which is nearly 10 per cent of Dubai’s population, used the Metro in its first twodays of operation[6].

Once the 20 km Green line opens, the Dubai Metro will overtake the title of longestautomated metro network from the Vancouver Skytrain, surpassing it by 3 km.

Planning of the Dubai Metro began under the directive of Dubai's ruler  SheikhMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who expected other projects to attract 15 millionvisitors to Dubai by 2010. The combination of a rapidly-growing population (expected toreach 3 million by 2017) and severe traffic congestion necessitated the building of anurban rail system to provide additional  public transportation capacity, relieve motor traffic, and provide infrastructure for additional development.

In May 2005 a AED 12.45 billion/US$ 3.4 billion design and build contract was awardedto the Dubai Rail Link (DURL) consortium made up of Japanese companies includingMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, KajimaCorporation and Turkish firm Yapı Merkezi.[7] The first phase (worth AED 15.5

 billion/US$ 4.2 billion) covers 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the proposed network, includingthe Red Line between Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Ali Free Zone set for completion bySeptember 2009 [8]and the Green Line from Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf 1. This is to becompleted by June 2010.[9] A second phase contract was subsequently signed in July 2006and includes extensions to the initial routes. The Red Line partially opened at 9 minutesand 9 seconds past 9 PM on September 9, 2009 (9/9/9 9:9:9), inaugurated by SheikhMohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.[9] The construction cost of the Dubai Metro projecthas shot up by about 80 per cent from the original AED 15.5 billion/US$ 4.2 billion toAED 28 billion/US$ 7.6 billion. The authorities said the cost of the project did notovershoot. They attributed the increase in expenditure to the major changes in the scopeand design of the project. The authorities also expect to generate AED 18 billion/US$ 4.9 billion in income over the next 10 years. But they speculate that the Metro would not be a profit-making enterprise since the fares would be subsidised.

Work officially commenced on the construction of the metro on March 21, 2006.[10] Stillin February 2009, a top RTA Rail Agency official said "The $4.2 billion Dubai Metro project would be completed on schedule despite global crisis,"[11] however, two weeks before the planned opening the RTA had to admit that only 10 out of 29 metro station of 

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the red line will be ready to open in time.[9] The remaining stations are now scheduled toopen by February 2010.[12]

[edit] Operation

The Dubai Metro is operated by Serco under contract to the Dubai Roads & TransportAuthority.[13]

Before launch, Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department expected the metro tocarry 1.2 million passengers on an average day, 27,000 passengers per hour for each line,and 355 million passengers per year once both lines are fully operational. It is planned provide transport for 12% of all trips in Dubai. After the first month of operation (on alimited network), the actual ridership was 1,740,578, which equates to under 60,000 passengers/day.[14]

One issue for the new system will be how to reliably and comfortably get riders to their 

final destination if it is not located at a metro station. The RTA has changed and added"feeder bus routes" which act as shuttle services to and from major locations in andaround the station area. There are bus and taxi laybys constructed as well as drop off zones at each station for ease of passenger access.[15] In addition 268 km of light rail linesare also planned, these will serve as feeders to the Dubai Metro. The Al Sufouh Tramwayis one of the light rail plans. [15]

[edit] Lines

When completed, Dubai Metro will have 70 kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations

(including nine underground stations).

[16]

Two lines are under construction, and threemore are planned. The Roads and Transport Authority's masterplan includes 320 km of metro lines up to 2020 to cater to the expected 3.3 million population of the city. Thereare plans for 268km of light rail tracks to act as a feeder system for the Metro. The fate of this entire network – which would reportedly be divided into Yellow, Orange, Magentaand Black lines – is now dependent on an economic recovery and private investment.[17]

Map of Dubai Metro. Stations in black ■ are open, stations in white □ are not. Dashedlines are under construction, dotted lines are planned.

Line Terminals Opened Length Extensions Stations

Red

LineAl Rashidiya - Jebel Ali 9 Sep 2009 52.1 km 0 km

29 (11open)

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Green

LineAl Qusais - Al Jaddaf 

End of 2010(est.)[12] 23.9 km 18 km 20

Blueline

Dubai International Airport - AlMaktoum International Airport

2014 (est.) 47.0 km 0 km n/a

Purple

line

Dubai International Airport - AlMaktoum International Airport

2012 (est.) 49.0 km 0 km 8

Total:  166 km 18 km 57

[edit] Under construction

A metro station on Sheikh Zayed Road

Red Line viaduct in February 2009

• Green Line: 20 kilometres (12 mi) line with 22 stations from Festival City,through the city centre, Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 and the AirportFree Zone. This line was proposed to open in March 2010, however the DubaiRTA confirmed at the end of August 2009 that the Green Line will not open untilJune 2010, completing the first phase of the Dubai Metro.

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The line was originally slated at 17km was increased by 7km to 23.9km. The line will befurther extended by 11km from Al Jaddaf to International City under the Green Lineextension project.[18]

[edit] Proposed

• Purple Line: 49 kilometres (30 mi) Dubai International Airport to Al MaktoumInternational Airport, along Al Khail Road.[19] Construction commenced in March2009 and be operational by 2012. It will have about eight stations on the route,three with check in facilities. However The Dubai Airports claimed that this wasunfeasible as it did not pass through many localities. They however suggestedopting for a "central terminal" similar to ones in the US where trains leave frominside the airport to the other airport with trains also leaving to the city. The RTAhave taken this into consideration.

• Blue Line: 47 kilometres (29 mi) Dubai International Airport to Al MaktoumInternational Airport, along Emirates Road.[19]. This was originally proposed for 

construction starting along with the Purple Line and completion in 2012. Due tothe recession it was taken under reconsideration and the RTA have fixed adeadline of 2014 for completion of this line.

• Yellow Line: Announced in April 2008[15] • Red Line Extension: 15.5 km and six new stations, terminating at the border with

Abu Dhabi. No dates for completion announced.[20] 

[edit] List of stations

Rashidiya Station

Khaleed bin Waleed (Bur Juman) Station

Dubai Metro are composed of at-grade (G), elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 (T1, T2and T3, respectively), underground stations (U) and underground transfer station types(UT). Type 1 is the regular at-grade concourse station, Type 2 will be a regular elevated

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concourse station, and Type 3 will be an elevated special track station with an extra track to hold a non operational train. Underground transfer stations will be bothaccommodating the Red and Green lines for easy transfers.

Besides these differences, there will also be four themes to be used in the interiors of all

stations: earth, water, fire and air. Earth stations will have a tan-brown colour effects;water will have blue-white colour effects; fire will get orange-red colour effects; and theair will have green colour effects. [21] [22]

[edit] Corporate branding

Officials are negotiating with international and local companies over naming rights for 23stations on the two lines. This corporate branding would be the first of its kind.[23]

[edit] Trains

The trains on trial in Dubai - Feb 2009

Japanese manufacturer  Kinki Sharyo built a total of 87 five-car trains for the Red and

Green lines.[24] They are designed to carry 643 seated and standing passengers, andunusually for a mass transit system, the trains have three classes of accommodation: GoldClass, Women and Children class, and regular Silver Class (economy).[25] The first trainwas delivered to Dubai in March 2008.[24] The metro has driverless operation and usesthird rail current collection. Trained wardens accompany passengers to help withemergencies.[26]

[edit] Signaling

To permit fully-automated operation, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions is supplying itsSelTrac IS communications-based train control and NetTrac central control technology.This is configured for a minimum headway of 90 sec. Maximum speed of the trains will be 90 km/h, giving a round-trip time of 2 h 23 min for the Red Line and 1 h 23 min for the Green Line.

Red Line trains will initially run every 7 minutes off-peak, with a minimum headway of 3min 45 sec provided during the peaks, when 44 trainsets will be in service. From 2010,when 51 trains will be in service, the line will have a peak-hour capacity of 11,675

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 passengers per hour in each direction. The theoretical maximum design capacity is25,720 passengers per hour, which would require 106 trains.

The Green Line will have an initial capacity of 6,395 passengers per hour per direction,with 16 trains in service. The design capacity of this route is put at 13,380 passengers per 

hour, with 60 trains in service.[27]

Over 280,000 passengers used the Dubai Metro during the first week of its operation.  [28]

[edit] Incidents and accidents

On the first day of operation, one metro train broke down and the passengers had to waitfor two hours for a second train to be picked up.[29]