Public transportation in Dubai achieved another milestone with the opening of the city metro’s Green Line, complementing the Red Line which was inaugurated two years ago.

The Green Line is a boon to passengers living in the older sections of Dubai such as Deira and Bur Dubai and adds 18 stations and 23 km to the existing rail network with 10 km of the line and six stations underground. The Red Line extends 52 km including 5 km underground and comprises 29 stations, four of which are underground.

The Red and Green lines intersect at two locations, one at Union Station, which the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) described as the biggest underground metro station worldwide, spanning an area of 25,000 sq m, and the other at Khalid bin Al Waleed Station. Metro riders can transfer between the two lines through these two stations.

The Green Line’s starting point is Etisalat station at Al Qusais near Emirates Road and the termination point is Dubai Healthcare City.

Word’s largest metro of its kind
With the opening of the Green Line, Dubai Metro has become the world’s longest fully automated metro network.

Fourteen trains will operate along the new line during peak hours and 10 during off-peak hours. According to the RTA, the maximum waiting time for a train will be between six and eight minutes.

All stations of the Green Line have opened except Al Jadaf and Creek. The RTA said the property projects intended to be served by these two stations had yet to be completed, although both stations were ready for operation. The Dubai Rapid Link (DURL) consortium, which includes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was the contractor while the Systra-Parsons JV was another main contractor. WS Atkins served as the main consultant. The Dubai Metro is operated by Serco on behalf of RTA.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE Prime Minister and Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, opened the new line.

Some 84.2 million passengers have used Dubai's metro from its opening in 2009 to the first week of Septemer 2011

Network ‘fast and accessible’
RTA chairman Matter Al Tayer thanked Sheikh Mohammed for his support and said the projects would bring many benefits to Dubai. “The economy of Dubai is good because the infrastructure is ready to be utilised,” he said. “The network is fast and accessible and, in addition, it is green and tourist-friendly.”

The official emphasised that the number of metro riders would pick up considerably with the operation of the Green Line as it served dynamic and high-density commercial, government and residential areas. He anticipated that the Green Line would be used over the remaining months of this year by about 100,000 passengers every day. Al Tayer revealed that the total number of Dubai Metro riders from the start of operations in September 2009 until the end of August 2011 clocked 84.2 million.

The metro system’s blue and purple lines are to be completed in 2012. They will connect the existing Dubai International Airport with the new Al Maktoum mega airport further to the west.