Early start on Fridays for Metros and Marina Loop service discontinued for Tram

The Roads and Transport Authority announced the Dubai Metro service will begin at 10am on Fridays starting October 2 and the Marina Loop for the Dubai Tram will be discontinued.

Changes will also be introduced for the Dubai Tram. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // Dubai Metro will start running earlier on Fridays as of next month.

From October 2, services will start at 10am instead of 1pm, the Roads and Transport Authority said, giving travellers better access to tourist, commercial and residential areas.

Changes will also be introduced for the Dubai Tram. The Marina Loop service that covers four stations – Jumeirah Beach Residence 1 and 2, JLT and Dubai Marina Mall – will be discontinued.

Abdullah Al Ali, chief executive of the RTA Rail Agency, said the changes were introduced as a result of a study on public transport users’ preferences carried out between December last year and May.

Only 6 per cent of riders use the Marina Loop service, the study showed.

“The study stated that abolishing this service would bring about a lot of positives, such as slashing the total transit time from 54 minutes to 45 minutes, and improving the service frequency to 8 minutes,” Mr Al Ali said.

The Dubai Tram will also have shorter operation hours, stopping at 1am, instead of 1.30am.