DUBAI METRO – ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW !!

The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network which is under construction in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai . The Red and Green Lines are under construction, and further lines are planned. These first two lines will run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere. The Dubai Metro will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world when it opens in 9 September 2009. The trains and stations will be air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.

CONSTRUCTION - Planning of the Dubai Metro began under the directive of Dubai 's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who expected other projects to attract 15 million visitors to Dubai by 2010. The combination of a rapidly-growing population (expected to reach 3 million by 2017) and severe traffic congestion necessitated the building of an urban 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 design and build contract was awarded to the Dubai Rail Link (DURL) consortium made up of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi.. The first phase (worth AED 15.5 billion/US$4.2 billion) covers 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the proposed network, including the Red Line between Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Ali Free Zone set for completion by September 2009 and the Green Line from Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf 1. This is to be completed by March 2010. A second phase contract was subsequently signed in July 2006 and includes extensions to the initial routes. Work officially commenced on the construction of the metro on March 21, 2006. A top RTA Rail Agency official said "The $4.2 billion Dubai Metro project would be completed on schedule despite global crisis
DUBAI METRO NETWORK - When completed, Dubai Metro will have a total of 70 kilometres (43 mi) of lines, and 47 stations (including 9 underground stations). Two lines are under construction, and two more are planned.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Red Line viaduct in February 2009Red Line: 50 kilometres (31 mi) line with 35 stations from Jebel Ali Port, the American University in Dubai, through the city centre to Al Rashidiya. Green Line: 20 kilometres (12 mi) line with 22 stations from Festival City , through the city centre, Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 and the Airport Free Zone.
PROPOSED - Blue Line: 47 kilometres (29 mi) line along Emirates Road , exact route currently unknown. Purple Line: 49 kilometres (30 mi) line along Al Khail Road , meant to be an express route between Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport. The Dubai Metro will be operated by Serco under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority. Dubai Municipality Public Transport Department expects the metro to carry 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 to transport 12% of total trips in Dubai .. One issue for the new system will be how to reliably and comfortably get riders to their final destination if it is not at a metro station. Will there be enough taxis at stations? Bus and water routes are being adjusted to circulate riders to the areas between stops. Three park-and-ride facilities are being built.
COMPLETION - The Metro is scheduled to partially open by September 2009 and be fully completed by 2012.
CLASS ACT: ABOUT THE LOCOMOTIVE - Compartments in each train: 5; Silver class (economy): 4, Gold, Women and Children: 1; Passenger capacity: 897; Seating capacity: Around 140, Average speed: 40 to 45 km/h

LIST OF STATIONS - Dubai Metro are composed of at-grade (G), elevated Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 (T1, T2 and 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 concourse station, and Type 3 will be an elevated special track station. Underground transfer stations will be both accommodating the Red and Green lines for easy transfers. Besides these differences, there will also be 4 themes to be used in the interiors of all stations: earth, water, fire and air. Earth stations will have a tan-brown color effects; water will have blue-white color effects; fire will get orange-red color effects; and the air will have green color effects. There will be a total of 47 stations (in addition to station on the extension lines). The Red Line will have 29 stations, including 24 elevated, four underground and one at ground-level.. This line is 52.1 km long, including 4.7 km underground. The Green Line will have 18 stations, including 12 elevated and 6 underground. The Green Line is 22.5 km long, including 7.9 km underground. There will be two transfer stations — Union Square and the BurJuman Centre. At the transfer stations, Green and Red Lines will cross each other and passengers will be able to change between lines. Work on metro stations will continue into 2008. All elevated stations on the Red Line will be completed by the beginning of 2008, while the underground stations will be complete by early 2009.
The theme of the Dubai Metro stations is based on the four elements: air, earth, fire and water, which suit the UAE's weather conditions. The metro stations will have unique designs, mixing modernism and tradition. The Rail Agency already revealed the interior designs of the stations for the Dh15.5 billion Metro now under construction. The stations are divided into two categories - underground and elevated. The total number of stations on both lines (red and green) is 47, with 10 underground stations positioned in the central metropolitan area, and the remaining 37 are elevated. The interiors of the stations are uniquely designed by adopting themes based on one of the four elements of nature: water, air, fire and earth.. There will be a total of 12 Earth themed stations, 13 Water themed stations, 11 Air themed stations and 11 Fire themed stations. Their unique shell shaped roof invokes the heritage of pearl diving, which is an integral part of Dubai 's history. The key objectives of the stations' architectural designs are public safety and security, clear and simple planning with minimal travel distances. The station entrances at ground level will be integrated with other modes of transportation and pedestrian connectivity, including provision for future developments. The stations will be fully equipped with facilities for people with special needs, mothers with baby prams and commuters with shopping bags and luggage. International standards have been adopted to ensure that people with special needs can move about independently and with ease in the Metro stations.
RED LINE:

1. Rashidiya Station (T3)
2. Emirates Station (T2)
3. Airport Terminal 3 Station (will not be made by DURL)
4. Airport Terminal 2 Station (will not be made by DURL)
5. Al Garhoud Station (T2)
6. City Centre Station (U)
7. Al Rigga Station (U)
8. Union Square Station (UT, connecting with Green Line)
9. BurJuman Station (UT, connecting with Green Line)
10. Al Karama Station (T2)
11. Al Jaffiliya Station (T1)
12. Trade Centre Station (T1)
13. Emirates Towers Station (T1)
14. Financial Center Station (T2)
15. Burj Dubai Station (T2)
16. Business Bay Station (T1)
17. Al Quoz Station (T1)
18. Burj Al Arab Station (T1)
19. Mall of the Emirates Station (T2)
20. Al Barsha Station (T1)
21. Tecom Station (T2) — future interchange to Palm Jumeirah Monorail
22. Nakheel Station (T3)
23. Dubai Marina Station (T2)
24. Jumeirah Lake Towers Station (T2)
25. Jumeirah Islands Station (T1)
26. Ibn Battuta Station (T1)
27. Dubal Station (T1)
28. Jebel Ali Industrial Station (T1)
29. Jafza / Limitless Station (G)

Main Depot for the trains will be at Rashidiya just before the Rashidiya Station, while an auxiliary depot is located at Jebel Ali Port.
GREEN LINE:

1. Al Qusais 2 Station (T3)
2. Al Qusais 1 Station (T2)
3. Airport Free Zone Station (T2)
4. Al Nahda Station (T2)
5. Stadium Station (T2)
6. Al Quiadah Station (T2)
7. Abu Hail Station (T2)
8. Abu Baker Al Siddique Station (T2)
9. Salahuddin Station (U)
10. Union Square Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
11. Baniyas Square Station (U)
12. Palm Deira Station (U)
13. Al Ras Station (U)
14. Al Ghubaiba Station (U)
15. Saeediya Station (U)
16. BurJuman Station (UT, connecting to Red Line)
17. Oud Metha Station (T2)
18. Health Care City Station (T2)
19. Jeddaf 1 Station (T2)
20. Jeddaf 2 Station (T2)

The train depot is located at Al Qusaias just before the Al Qusais 2 Station.
CORPORATE BRANDING - Officials are negotiating with international and local companies over naming rights for 23 stations on the two lines. This corporate branding would be the first of its kind.
TRAINS - The Trains on trial in Dubai - Feb 2009Japanese manufacturer Kinki Sharyo is building a total of 87 five-car trains for the Red and Green lines. They are designed to carry 643 seated and standing passengers, and unusually for a mass transit system, the trains will have three classes of accommodation: Gold Class, Women and Children class, and regular Silver Class (economy). The first train was delivered to Dubai in March 2008.[14] The metro will have driverless operation and use third rail current collection. Trained wardens will accompany passengers to help with emergencies.
SIGNALING - To permit fully-automated operation, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions is supplying its SelTrac 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 min off-peak, with a minimum headway of 3 min 45 sec provided during the peaks, when 38 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 passengers/h in each direction. The theoretical maximum design capacity is 25 720 passengers/h, which would require 106 trains. The Green Line will have an initial capacity of 6 395 passengers/h per direction, with 16 trains in service. The design capacity of this route is put at 13 380 passengers/h, with 60 trains in service.
CAR PARKINGS FOR RAIL USERS - Car parking facility will be provided to metro users on the concept of "park and ride". There will be two major parking lots on Red Line — one at Rashidiya Station for 3,000 cars and at Jumeirah Islands Station for another 3,000 cars. The biggest parking lot will be built at Al Qusais Station with a capacity of 6,000 cars. It will cater to users coming from Sharjah. There will be small parking spaces at each station while each station will be linked to other mode of transportation, including taxis, buses and at some stations water transport.
ADJACENT BUS AND TAXI STATIONS - All main metro stations will have adjacent bus stations as part of the integrated transport system which will include buses, taxis as well as water transport links at stations near the creek. The RTA is planning to introduce an integrated card system, the Smart Card, that will enable passengers to travel on trains, buses and water transport, as well as use the parking areas.
CONSTRUCTION OF VIADUCTS FOR ELEVATED TRACKS - A viaduct is a bridge, which is placed over piers to make a track for the train. The construction of viaduct spans for the Dubai Metro has started on Shaikh Zayed Road near Interchange 5.5 near Ibn Battuta Mall. Each of these viaduct spans is being made up with a minimum of eight pre-cast viaduct deck segments, which are manufactured and transported from Jebel Ali casting yard. Each segment of viaduct, 10 metres wide and four metres in length, is being assembled with other similar sized segments individually to form a complete viaduct span bridging across two supporting piers. Different spans together when assembled will form the bridge deck upon which the trains will travel. There will be 11,400 pre-cast concrete viaduct deck segments to be used for the Red Line. Each viaduct weighs about 50 tonnes.
LUXURIOUS INTERIOR - The interior of the trains is based on a water and air theme and every train will have five compartments. Every train will have three classes – The Golden Class (VIP), the Women and Children's Class and the Silver Class (economy). The Golden Class will have a luxurious interior with leather seating. The Women and Children's compartments will have plenty of space for strollers and bags to ensure a safe and comfortable journey. The Silver Class has been finished in a combination of blues and greens. Seating is arranged in a variety of ways giving passengers the choice between admiring views through windows or chatting with friends. All compartments will have reserved wheelchair spaces for special needs people. There will be a policy of priority seating for elderly, injured, special needs people and pregnant women. The compartments will be equipped with audio visual devices. Visual and audio announcement facilities will be available to serve people, especially those with special needs. Clear signage will show the route map of the metro and other directions for passengers. A variety of safety devices, including closed circuit television in all trains will ensure a safe and comfortable journey for all.







Residents and motorists will not be disturbed by the noise of Metro trains passing by, say RTA officials. Described as "quiet", the state-of-the-art trains will not vibrate and will emit hardly any sound. Passengers sitting inside a train will not hear any road noise, while residents in buildings along the elevated and underground tracks will not feel any vibration. Trains will adhere to modern standards of noise pollution. Two trains have already arrived in Dubai from Japan for the test run. The trains arrived at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai on March 6 for the trial run, which is to begin by the end of April this year. A 1.7 km-long test track is ready between Jebel Ali Industrial Area Station and Ibn Battuta Station. Rail track has been laid for more than 10km, at the rate of about 100 metres per day. Once fully operational, 79 trains will run on both the lines of the Metro, 62 on the 52.1km-long Red Line and 17 trains on the 22.5-km long Green Line. Each train will have three classes: Golden Class, the Women and Children Class and Silver Class. Silver, or economy class, will be given four out of five compartments. The Golden Class, open to all for an extra charge, will have luxurious leather seating. The Women and Children compartments will have space for strollers and bags to ensure a safe and comfortable journey. There will be six wheelchair spaces in every train. Train compartments will be equipped with LCD screens and wireless internet access. Trains will be driverless and will be controlled from the main control room.


Dubai Metro ticket prices announced
Dubai: A standard metro ticket will start at Dh2, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Monday.

Holders of a unified card system - which allows passengers to use the metro, buses and water transport using the same card - will see fares range from Dh1.8to Dh5.80 for a single journey, said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of RTA.

Special fares for elderly people and students have also been announced. 30 day pass for students will cost Dh170, and for the elderly it will cost Dh30.

A daily travel pass will cost Dh14.

The Red Line of the Dubai Metro is scheduled to commence operation on September 9.