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.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
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“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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Producer: JAR Films
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Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Chitrangda Singh, Kabir Bedi
Rating: 3 star
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The Transfiguration
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Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
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Transmission: nine-speed automatic
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Price: Dh810,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FOOTBALL TEST
Team X 1 Team Y 0
Scorers
Red card
Man of the Match
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
