RELATED: Dubai Metro at 15 - how trains transformed a gridlocked city
Dubai Metro is turning 15 this month. The rail network was opened at a moment of heightened synchronicity. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, officially inaugurated the Dubai Metro on September 9, 2009, at 9 minutes and 9 seconds past 9pm.
It was a significant time for such an ambitious project to be launched. Dubai, and the world at large, was in the throes of a financial crisis. Markets were steeped in uncertainty and construction projects around the globe had come to a halt. Yet, despite challenges, the project was launched on schedule, though it was smaller than planned.
Initially, only 10 stations of the Red Line were opened. Construction of the remaining 19 was completed by April 2010, opening sequentially across the following year. Jebel Ali Station, the final stop of the Red Line was opened in March 2011.
While the Red Line runs from Al Rashidiya to the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the Green Line connects Al Qusais 2 to Al Jaddaf. The Green Line was launched on September 9, 2011. Since their launch, both lines have been extended. A significant expansion took place for Expo 2020 Dubai, with the Red Line increasing by 15km to connect to the Expo 2020 site.
As the Green Line opened and more stations became operational, usage of the metro dramatically increased. According to stats by the Roads and Transport Authority, more than 225 million trips were made in 2022, a sizable jump from when the network opened and almost seven million people used it.
Dubai Metro now consists of 55 stations. The Red Line consists of 35 stations, while the Green Line comprises 20. The metro also connects to the Dubai Tram that runs along Al Sufouh Road, connecting Dubai Marina to the Palm Jumeirah. The tram system is connected to the Red Line via the DMCC and Sobha Realty stations.
There are significant plans to augment Dubai Metro. Earlier this year, plans to more than double the number of stations were revealed. Stations are projected to increase to 96 by 2030 and 140 by 2040. The expansion comes as part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Plan, which aims to facilitate access to 80 per cent of residents’ daily needs and destinations within 20 minutes on foot or by bicycle.
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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