Dubai Investments Park and Expo 2020 metro stations will be open on Route 2020 of the Metro Red Line from June 1.
The long-awaited move means trains will shuttle directly between Al Rashidiya metro station and the Expo 2020 station from this date.
Jebel Ali Station will be an interchange station for those heading to or coming from UAE Exchange Station – the last stop on the Red Line, the Roads and Transport Authority said.
But only those with clearance to access the Expo site in Dubai South will be permitted to use the two until the official opening of the World Fair in October.
The RTA announced the move on Saturday and said the underground Jumeirah Golf Estates station on the Expo route will open to coincide with the event’s launch in October.
“The opening of the two stations on Route 2020 concurs with the start of the countdown of Dubai’s hosting of Expo 2020,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA.
“It follows the successful completion of all tests relating to the performance efficiency and safety of the rail systems.”
Travel time between Al Rashidiya and Expo 2020 stations will be an hour and 14 minutes.
The frequency of trains will be two minutes and 28 seconds during peak hours on the main line between the Al Rashidiya and Expo 2020 route.
The new route serves districts populated by 270,000 people.
The two new stations were launched six months after the opening of Route 2020. The seven stations on the route are: Jebel Ali Station; The Gardens Station; Discovery Gardens Station; Al Furjan Station; Jumeirah Golf Estates Station; Dubai Investments Park Station; and Expo Station.
Only Jebel Ali; The Gardens; Discovery Gardens; and Al Furjan are open to the public for now.
Twenty-four trains with a capacity of 16,000 passengers will ply every hour in each direction during peak hours between Al Rashidiya and the Expo stations.
RTA studies show the Expo station will record about 35,000 daily visitors to the World Fair during weekdays with the numbers rising to 47,000 daily visitors at the weekend.
Travellers on the metro will account for 29 per cent of the expected daily visitors.
The Expo 2020 Station has a design resembling the wings of a plane to symbolise Dubai's innovation drive.
With three boarding platforms, the station will serve 29,000 passengers every hour during the peak hours and about 522,000 people per day.
It is linked with six bus stops, 20 taxi stands and four parking slots for people of determination.
The Dubai Investments Park station is underground with two platforms, four bus spots, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people with special needs.
It can accommodate 13,899 travellers per hour during the peak and 250,000 riders per day.
Jumeirah Golf Estates station is the biggest underground metro station across the metro network.
It has the capacity to handle 11,555 people an hour during peak travel and about 250,000 riders a day.
The RTA also announced the schedule for services from June, with the first train leaving Al Rashidiya and the Expo 2020 stations at 5am from Saturday to Wednesday and the last journey will be at midnight.
On Thursday, the first train will leave at 5am and the last at 1.30am the next day. The schedule for Friday is from 10am to 1.30am the next day.
The Green line service will begin at 5am with a frequency of five minutes during peak hours.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
The view from The National
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
