1 billion people. How many is that? It’s a 1000 millions. That’s a huge number, isn’t it? Guess what? The number of people who’ve used the metro
is OVER a billion people. That’s a big deal.
Photo Credit: https://www.bayut.com/mybayut/apartments-rent-near-dubai-metro-station/
It all started back in 2009, when we were school. 10 to 13 years old. Young children, worrying about studies? projects? assignments? (still worrying about the same things although its 10 years later. A lot of things change but this sure hasn’t)
Anyway, the construction of the metro began in 2006 and in
September, 2009, the METRO was first inaugurated. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum punched the first ticket at 09:09:09 – 9 p.m., 9 minutes and 9 seconds exactly. Click this link to watch a video of the first metro ride and to read more.
The Dubai metro was the first metro system in the Gulf region. The original cost of the Dubai metro was AED 15.5 billion but it later shot up to a whopping AED 28 billion as a result of all the additional work and extensions. The metro originally consisted of the Red Line and later extended to the Green Line. Here’s a map for you to understand better. Save it for future use.
Picture Credit: http://www.mydubaistay.com/en/dubai-metro-map.aspx
The Red Line extends from Rashidiya metro station to Jebel Ali metro station, which is 52.1 kilometers long. The Green Line extends from Etisalat metro to Creek metro station, which is 22.5 kilometers long. So it has 29 stops in the Red line and 20 stops in the Green line. 49 stops in all.
From school students to college student to working adults, the metro has integrated itself into the lives of the people in Dubai. Although there are plenty
of people who drive, plenty of people don’t. This is where the metro steps in. Offering comfortable and cheap rides for us all. If you usually take the bus to school, university or work and one day your alarm just happened to….who are we kidding? We all know who pressed the snooze button. Anyway, if one day, you missed your usual ride, the metro is there to back you up. Should we just start calling it the backbone of Dubai?
Truly, the metro, since its beginning has been so beneficial to people. Providing us with a good number of locations that are spread out in the city,
the level of ease with which we travel, and that too, comfortably is a wonderful accomplishment. During the first half of 2018, 103.292 MILLION passengers
had used the metro. And in the 8 years after its inauguration, it reached to a billion users. More than 400,000 people use the metro daily.
Photo Credit: https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/cant-imagine-life-without-dubai-metro-1.2116338
In an article by Gulf News, metro users talked about how the metro helped them. Mohammed Haneefa, a graphic designer from Sri Lanka, said, “I have been in Dubai for three years and I don’t know any other way to travel. I can’t imagine life without the trains,”
Arsalan Naite, a sales executive is another metro user who said “I am new to Dubai and my job requires me to travel a lot. There is no other way I could do my job quickly and efficiently without the Metro. Metro has been my lifeline. I spend around three hours daily on train travelling between Jebel Ali and Deira, it’s a blessing,”
Sheena, who works with GEMS Wellington School, said, “I stay in Deira and the Metro station is close to my house. I save a lot of time using the Metro and it’s more comfortable. I’m proud to be part of the Metro journey,”
“Metro has been my lifeline.”
-Arsalan Naite, sales executive with Limitless Logic
In another article by Gulf News, Zaina Teega, who came from Uganda to Dubai to look for work, said that she as she is new to the city, it is difficult to travel but the metro and buses have made it easy for her to go around the city.
Mohammad Ali, who was here on a short vacation said that metro gave the best view of the city and connects with all the right places. He also said that it gave tourists the ability to see different places and roam around on a budget.
The metro project has undoubtedly been a spectacular and helpful contribution to the people of Dubai regardless of how old they are and/or what work they do and it has increased the gratitude we feel towards this city.
Click on the below link to have a insight into the everyday lives of two metro users!
The News Minute @ MAHE 