Dubai commuters back metro extension ahead of Expo 2020

With five years until Dubai welcomes the world, rail travellers say ambitious Metro extension will be good for work and play.

Commuter Yulia Shcherbenas welcomed plans to extend the service and said she would be happy to cope with the inconvenience of construction if the result made travel easier. Jeffrey E Biteng / The NationalShow less

DUBAI // Commuters have welcomed plans for a 15-kilometre long, seven station extension to the Dubai Metro network to be completed in time for Expo 2020.

The new line, which will include five elevated and two underground stations, is expected to be a major boost for about 250,000 people living in communities close to the proposed links that will connect Dubai World Central Airport Al Maktoum International Airport and the Expo site with the rest of the city.

Construction is to begin “as soon as possible”, said the Roads and Transport Agency.

Of the new Red Line track, 11km will be elevated, while 4km of the current Nakheel Harbour and Tower station to the Expo site will be underground.

It will serve the Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates, and Dubai Investments Park neighbourhoods, with a journey from Dubai Marina to the Expo site taking 16 minutes.

“To extend the Metro to areas where there is nothing now is really good,” said Indian business student Vinnay Kevan, 27, who lives in Discovery Gardens and takes a bus to Ibn Battuta station. “I have to use the bus, as do a lot of people there. In some areas the buses are very few and you can be waiting for half an hour.”

News of the development drew a similar reaction from 21-year-old Yulia Shcherbenas from Ukraine, who also lives in Discovery Gardens and catches the Metro to work in Downtown Dubai.

“The transport here is good for some areas but it is not easy to get everywhere,” she said. “I sometimes have to use the car, but would prefer not to. The roads can be very busy and stressful to drive on.

“Like many people, I can handle the disruption while the work is going on if it is to benefit us in the long term.”

The Route 2020 project was announced on Sunday by the Dubai Government.

Once completed, the transport links are predicted to benefit the housing market in areas beyond Dubai Marina, commonly known as New Dubai.

Rebecca Rees, spokeswoman for Nakheel, the developer behind Discovery Gardens and Ibn Battuta Mall, which is a stop from the proposed station at Nakheel Harbour, said they are expecting greater footfall.

“It is a great boost for the communities nearby and those who will have a new metro station within walking distance, particularly for people living in Discovery Gardens, The Gardens and Al Furjan.

“Those living in Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Islands and Jumeirah Village Triangle will also have better access to the Metro line than they have now.

“We expect somewhere between 100,000 and 110,000 people in these areas will ultimately benefit when the work is completed, and it will not only give them another option to using the car, but also enhance property prices.”

Estate agent Gregory Lewis, head of domestic residents at Knight Frank in Dubai, said the Metro extension is the “latest example of Dubai growing out” although it would have to connect to all of the neighbourhoods to make the greatest impact.

“I live on Jumeirah Golf Estates and I’m not sure how many people living there would use the Metro.”

Moiz Rahim, 25, from Pakistan, who travels to the Ibn Battuta station each day from his home in Bur Dubai, said extending the network could help reduce the number of cars on the road.

“Some people need a car and have no choice, but if I could use the Metro, I would, so extending the network is a good thing.”

Diana Magellano, 27, from the Philippines, who lives in Deira, said she hopes the larger network will open up opportunities for companies as well as jobseekers.

“I use the Metro every day and I am trying to find a job, so a bigger rail line would make it easier for people like me,” she said.

“It is very difficult without a car, and taxis can be expensive. If I knew I could get somewhere by train, I would be encouraged to take a job in that area.”