The extension of the Dubai Metro line, Route 2020, will begin commercial operations starting from January 1, 2021, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced. The route runs from Jebel Ali station to the Expo 2020 station.
According to a statement from the RTA, the initial operational phase will cover four stations; Jebel Ali (interchange station), The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, and Al Furjan, with the remaining three stations scheduled to open later in 2021.
Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general, chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said the opening of Route 2020 follows the successful completion of four operational tests and trials. The tests included a static test of metro carriages and systems, the test of the rolling stock without passengers, an operational trial to check system reliability and stability, and operational trials carried out by the operator of the metro service to verify the readiness before the start of commercial service.
“The first journey on Route 2020 will start from Jebel Ali Station to Al Furjan Station and back, taking about six minutes to cover the distance. The service frequency (headway) will be 10 minutes at a rate of six trains per hour. The route can serve 4,176 riders per hour per direction,” explained Al Tayer.
The four stations designated to open in January are all elevated stations. The first, Jebel Ali, is an interchange station with the Red Line. It spans 8,800sqm and extends 150m in length and can serve 17,000 riders per hour during peak times and 320,000 riders per day. The second is the Gardens station spread over 8,100sqm and extending 168m in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day.
The third is the Discovery Gardens station which spans 8,600sqm and extends 168m in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day. The fourth is Al Furjan station spanning 8,400sqm in area and extending 168m in length. It can serve 6,770 riders per hour during peak times and 125,000 riders per day.
“19 buses on four routes will serve Route 2020 stations to ease the mobility of riders from and to each station. Two of these routes will call at The Gardens Station, and the other two at Al Furjan Station. The taxi service will be available at the operating stations,” explained Al Tayer.
According to him, Route 2020 has the capacity for 46,000 riders per hour in both directions (23,000 riders per hour per direction).
The RTA said its 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, and the number to increase to 47,000 daily visitors during weekends. This number accounts for 29% of the total expected number of daily visitors to Expo, Al Tayer concluded.
