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.
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
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Workers build an underground tunnel at Union Square Station, one of two underground stations where both Dubai Metro lines meet, in 2008. Reuters -
Construction of a metro station on Sheikh Zayed Road in January 2009. Alamy -
Scores of buildings under construction along the new metro line are seen on June 15, 2008. AFP -
Construction of a track line support column for Dubai Metro under way. Alamy -
Workers at a construction site for Dubai Metro pictured on May 28, 2008. AFP -
Construction for Dubai Metro under way ahead of its inauguration in 2009. -
Dubai Metro passes Dubai Marina during test runs a week before its opening on September 9, 2009. Stephen Lock / The National -
Murals painted on the Metro support pillars in November 2018. They were painted by two international artists, Peruvian Daniel Cortez and Dominican-born, Miami-based Elio Mercado, known as Evoca1. Reem Mohammed / The National -
Commuters file into Noor Bank Metro Station in September 2018. Victor Besa / The National -
Commuters wait to take the Metro. -
Dubai Metro has served more than 1.5bn passengers since it opened 10 years ago.
