Cop28 organisers stress need to use Dubai Metro with tens of thousands set to visit

Organisers say planned road closures in first three days and last-minute changes to road access expected throughout

The Rove Expo 2020 will be in the blue zone with access for accredited delegates during the global climate summit. Photo: Rove Hotels

Alif - the Mobility Pavilion in Dubai will be open to the public during Cop28. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

The Expo 2020 falcon-winged UAE pavilion will go by a different name and serve as a cultural venue during Cop28. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National

Terra - the Sustainability pavilion, which is covered with hundreds of solar panels, will be open to the public for Cop28. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Terra, Alif, Vision, Women’s and Stories of Nations pavilions and Latifa’s Playground will be shut from November 18-29 to incorporate changes for Cop28. EPA

The Expo 2020 metro station serves the Dubai Exhibition and Convention Centre. Cop28 organisers have asked visitors to use the Dubai Metro. Pawan Singh / The National

The central Al Wasl Plaza at Expo City Dubai will be in the Cop28 green zone and accessible to the public during the summit. EPA

Surreal, a popular Expo 2020 Dubai water feature, will be open to the public during Cop28. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Airport-style security gates will be installed for entry into the Cop28 summit's blue and green zones, much like the screening at the Expo 2020 site. Pawan Singh / The National

A night view of the Vision Pavilion that will be open to the public during Cop28. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

The Garden in the Sky attraction will be shut from October and will not operate during Cop28. Pawan Singh / The National.

Arish, traditional architecture using dried palm leaves, will feature across the Cop28 site. Photo: Sandra Piesik

As well as dried palm leaves, the age-old arish technique also uses fibre from the trunk and husk to construct homes and weave ropes. Photo: Sandra Piesik

Visitors to Cop28 at Expo City are being urged to use public transport throughout the two-week conference.

Organisers have said using Dubai Metro will be a quicker and more environmentally sustainable form of travel to access and leave the site.

Visitors can expect certain roads near Expo City to be closed for the first three days of Cop28 due to heightened security protocols.

Organisers said visitors may also experience last-minute changes to road access or closures during the event.

Dubai Metro's Red Line, which has direct access to Expo City, connects Dubai International Airport and some of the city's major hotels.

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, in its traffic plan for the event, said the metro's operational hours will be extended by one hour, from 5am to 1am.

The first train will arrive at the wheelchair-friendly Expo Metro station at 5.19am and the final one will leave at midnight every day of the event.

More than 10,000 eco-friendly Dubai Taxis will be available at Expo City Dubai through the Hala Taxi platform, while Uber, Careem and Yango will also be operating during the event.

Taxi pick-ups will be at four designated ranks - Opportunity Gate, Mobility Gate, Sustainability Gate and the Metro Gate.

The Expo site will be divided into Blue and Green Zones.

Parking is available for visitors to the Blue and Green Zones, with frequent parking shuttles operating from all car parks.

Blue Zone

The Blue Zone, which is managed by the UN, will be open to heads of state, accredited government officials and media during Cop28.

It covers the Rove Hotel, the Dubai Exhibition Centre and it will also include Al Wasl Plaza and several Mobility and Opportunity district buildings.

Due to a limited amount of car parking spaces in the Blue Zone, delegates are encouraged to use Dubai Metro and the Metro Park and Ride located at Centrepoint (Al Rashidiya), Etisalat by e& (Al Qusais) and Jebel Ali stations.

Outside of metro hours, an overnight shuttle service will operate every 20 minutes from midnight to 5am to several hotel locations in the city, including Premier Inn Dubai Ibn Battuta, Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, Media Rotana, Premier Inn Barsha Heights, Courtyard by Marriott Al Barsha and Sheraton Mall of the Emirates.

Cop28 will provide public transport free of charge throughout the event for Blue Zone delegates. The RTA will also issue free pre-charged ‘Nol’ cards to Conference of Youth participants attending the conference.

Abu Dhabi shuttles

From November 21 to 29, organisers will also operate a shuttle service from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Expo City, from 6am to 10am every 30 minutes and from 10am to 8pm every 60 minutes.

During the conference (Nov 30 to Dec 13), the shuttle blues from Abu Dhabi airport to Cop28 will run from 6am to 10am every 30 minutes and then from 10am to 11pm every 60 minutes.

From Cop28 venue to Abu Dhabi International Airport, the buses will run every 60 minutes from 8.30am to 4.30pm and from 9.30pm to 1.30am. Between 4.30pm and 9.30pm, they will operate every 30 minutes.

Green Zone

The Green Zone, which is the area open to the public from December 3 to 12, will include the Sustainability district, Alif or the Mobility pavilion, the Vision and Women’s pavilions, the Surreal water feature, Al Forsan park and some sections of the Mobility district that feature a youth and green hub.

The general public can gain access to the site from the Opportunity, Sustainability and Mobility arrival plazas.

Biofuel-powered and electric shuttle buses will take visitors from the metro station to Green Zone arrival plazas, from 8am until 12 midnight.

Those looking to visit the Green Zone between December 3 and December 12 will require a pass, which is free of charge and provides one-time access on a given day.

Booking for the free Green Zone Day Pass is now available on the Cop28 website, which has a detailed map of the site. Each ticket is valid only for the day it's booked for and cannot be used for several entries.

Organisers are expecting up to 70,000 people a day to visit the site, with music, events and shows planned.