DUBAI // Two years to the day after becoming the Gulf's first mass-transit rail system, the Dubai Metro has opened its second line.
The Green Line, which covers 22.5 kilometres and 20 stations, was inaugurated yesterday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Eighteen stations on the new line will be open to the public this morning, with two more due to open soon.
The line runs on a route that will start at Dubai Creek when the two other stations are open, through areas including Al Ras, Abu Hail and Al Qusais.
It terminates at Etisalat Station in Al Twar district near Emirates Road.
The Green Line takes the entire length of the driverless, remote-controlled system to about 75km.
"Since then [opening] and until August 2011, the Metro carried 84.2 million people," said Mattar Al Tayer, the chief executive of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Mr Al Tayer said the Green Line would serve an average of about 100,000 passengers a day by the end of the year.
Just after 5pm yesterday, Sheikh Mohammed boarded a Green Line train at the Dubai Healthcare City Station near Wafi Mall on a journey to Etisalat Station.
Joined by many dignitaries, VIP guests and members of the national and international media, Sheikh Mohammed frequently left the train to tour the Al Ghubaiba, and Salah Al Din stations.
As a helicopter hovered over the train, residents could be seen waving UAE flags and banners that said “Thank You” from their flats as the train rolled past. When he disembarked at Al Ghubaiba Station near Dubai Creek and Heritage Village, Sheikh Mohammed paused to take in the architectural surroundings, saying “Jamila, jamila”, meaning “beautiful, beautiful”.
The Sheikh, accompanied by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid and Dubai Deputy Ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid, also toured the Baniyas Square station near Naif Souq.
As the Sheikh left the station he was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd that included dozens of taxi drivers.
Soon after the train ended its journey, Mr Al Tayer said at Etisalat Station that the Metro was “a national project completed by the international community”.
He highlighted the work of the thousands of people who worked on the rail system, many of whom toiled underground to drill the tunnels.
“I want to thank all those who have exuded superhuman efforts in digging tunnels underground in 50 degrees,” Mr Al Tayer said.
“Thousands of workers from all over the world worked together to build the Metro and each one deserves our thanks.”
The Red and Green lines can carry a total of up to 1 million passengers a day and were built at a combined cost of Dh29.5 billion, which the RTA hopes to recoup over the next 40 to 50 years. The lines merge at the Khalid Bin Al Waleed and Union stations.
Adnan Al Hammadi, the head of the rail networks at the RTA, said the organisation would now turn its attention to delivering the Al Sufouh Tram service that runs along Al Sufouh Road and serves the Dubai Marina area.
The project is set to be completed in November of 2014 and aims to serve about 3,000 passengers a day.
Plans to build the Metro Purple and Blue lines are on hold but are likely to be revived as the Al Maktoum International Airport nears completion.
“Studies are always being conducted to see what the demand is,” Mr Al Hammadi said.
“The Blue and Purple lines are part of the future infrastructure and as Al Maktoum Airport nears completion, implementing further Metro lines may be a possibility.
“There is no need for these lines over the next five or six years.”
The RTA is hoping that with the opening of the Green Line and the future opening of the Al Sufouh Tram, the market share of public transport users will rise to 30 per cent per cent.
Mr Al Tayer said that between 11 and 12 per cent of that 30 per cent will be carried by the Metro, 6 to 9 per cent by bus, and the remainder by taxis and marine transport.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
The emirate's economy is in good health and its residents should expect "developmental surprises", Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said at yesterday's opening ceremony for the second Metro line, according to WAM, the state news agency.
“Our state is well and its people are also well and wait for developmental and economic surprises in the UAE,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Company%20Profile
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
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Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Joker: Folie a Deux
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Rating: 2/5
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
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Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1