Dubai Metro’s Route 2020 to begin operating from January 1, 2021

Route 2020, which will see the Dubai Metro line extend from Jebel Ali station to Expo 2020 station, will start commercial operations on January 1, 2021, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced.

The initial operation phase will cover four stations, including: Jebel Ali (interchange station), The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, and Al Furjan stations, confirmed Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the RTA.

The other remaining three stations will be opened later on.

The opening of Route 2020 to the public follows the successful completion of four operational tests and trials that included the static test of metro carriages and systems, test of the rolling stock without passengers, the operational trial to check the system reliability and stability, and the operational trials carried out by the operator of the metro service to verify the readiness before the start of the commercial service.

“RTA celebrates the New Year by starting the operation of Route 2020, which serves densely populated districts inhabited by 270,000 persons such as The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Real Estates, and the Dubai Investment Park as well as the site of Dubai Expo,” said Al Tayer.

“The selection of stations for operation on the first of January was based on several perimeters namely the density of population nearby the station, anticipated number of riders, commercial activities in the area served by the stations, and the link with other public transit means at each station.”

HE Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the #RTA announced that #Route2020, the extension of the Dubai Metro line, would start commercial operation on 01/01/2021. @DubaiMetro pic.twitter.com/bjRe2ixvaf

— RTA (@rta_dubai) December 19, 2020

Service timing

The Route 2020 will start from Jebel Ali station and end at Al Furjan station and in the opposite direction. Each complete ride takes about six minutes, a statement said.

Journeys will start at 5am and end at 12pm (midnight) from Saturday to Wednesday. On Thursday, the metro will start at 5am, and the last journey will start at 1am, (of the following day).

On Friday, services will begin at 10am and the last one will be at 1am (of the following day).

The service frequency will be 10 minutes at a rate of six trains per hour. The route can serve 4,176 riders per hour per direction, noted Al Tayer.

The RTA will also operate 19 buses on four routes to serve Route 2020 stations. Two of these routes will call at The Gardens Station, and the other two at Al Furjan Station. Taxi services will also be available at the operating stations.

Four stations

All the four operating stations are elevated stations.

The first is the Jebel Ali station, an interchange station with the Red Line. The station spans 8,800sqm in area and extends 150 metres in length. It can serve 17,000 riders per hour during peak times and 320,000 riders per day. The station has four rail boarding platforms, four bus stands, 17 taxi stands and seven parking slots for people of determination. It also offers eight outlets for commercial investment.

The second is the Gardens station covering 8,100sqm in area and extending 168 metres in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day. The station has two rail boarding platforms, four bus stands, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people of determination. It also offers five outlets for commercial investment.

The third is the Discovery Gardens station which spans an area of 8,600sqm and extends 168 metres in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day. The station has two rail boarding platforms, four bus stands, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people of determination. It also offers four outlets for commercial investment.

The fourth is Al Furjan station spread across 8,400sqm in area and extending 168 metres in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day. The station has two rail boarding platforms, four bus stands, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people of determination. It also offers four outlets for commercial investment.

The initial operation phase would cover four stations, namely: Jebel Ali (interchange station), The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, and Al Furjan Stations. #Dubai pic.twitter.com/dzkOd9jHyb

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) December 19, 2020

Capacity

Route 2020 has a capacity of 46,000 riders per hour in both directions (23,000 riders per hour per direction).

RTA’s studies anticipate the number of riders using Route 2020 to reach 125,000 riders per day in 2021, and increase to 275,000 riders per day by 2030.

Studies also reveal that Expo station is expected to serve about 35,000 daily visitors of Expo during weekdays, with the numbers expected to increase to 47,000 daily visitors during weekends. This number accounts for 29 per cent of the total expected number of daily visitors to Expo, the statement said.