Two new bus routes will be introduced in Dubai this weekend to give commuters better access to the city's metro network.
The service on F45 runs from Al Furjan Metro Station – part of the Route 2020 extension to the train network – to Discovery Gardens and Al Furjan every 20 minutes during peak hours.
It will serve a number of new residential developments that have come up near the seven new stations that were built to serve the Expo, which begins in October 2021.
.@rta_dubai launches two bus routes to link Route 2020 metro stations on 1 Jan 2021https://t.co/u36J4kAFEC pic.twitter.com/8AAHTH3DkO
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) December 28, 2020
The F56 will connect Dubai Internet City Station to the universities at Knowledge Park and loop around Media City and American University Dubai.
The buses will stop at the cluster of broadcast buildings at Media City Amphitheatre and then connect passengers to the Dubai Tram line on Al Sufouh Street.
Both services begin on New Year's Day – the same day that new stations open on the extended line.
Jebel Ali, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens and Al Furjan stations will open on Friday morning, serving large residential communities currently accessible only by bus or private car.
The remaining three stations – Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investments Park and the terminus at 2020 Expo – will open later next year.
An estimated 270,000 people live in these areas.
“The new routes are an important addition to Route 2020 of the Dubai Metro, which makes mobility through public transport in the emirate the ideal choice for residents, visitors and tourists coming to Dubai from all over the world,” said Adel Shakeri, director of planning at the Roads and Transport Authority.
The officials also announced the discontinuation of two existing routes from New Year's Day – Route 85, from Dubai Internet City Metro Station to Discovery Gardens and Route F42 from Ibn Battuta Metro Station to Discovery Gardens.
How the original metro was built - in pictures
