Red Line (Dubai Metro)

The Red Line is one of the two lines on the Dubai Metro network in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The first section was inaugurated on 9 September 2009.[1] Construction was declared complete on 28 April 2010.

Red Line
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Dubai Metro
Status	Complete
Locale	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Termini	Rashidiya UAE Exchange
Stations	29
Operation
Opened	9 September 2009 (limited)
Owner	Roads and Transport Authority (Dubai)
Operator(s)	Serco
Technical
Line length	52.1 kilometers (32.4 mi)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail
Operating speed	95 km/h (59 mph)
Route map Depot 11 Rashidiya 12 Emirates 13 Airport Terminal-3 13 Airport Terminal-1 15 GGICO 16 Deira City Centre 17 Al Rigga 18 Union Station  M2  Dubai Creek 19 BurJuman  M2  20 ADCB 21 Al Jafiliya 22 World Trade Centre 23 Emirates Towers 24 Financial Centre 25 Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall  T2  26 Business Bay 29 Noor Bank 31 FGB 32 Mall of the Emirates 33 Sharaf DG 34 Dubai Internet City  L1  35 Nakheel 36 DAMAC Properties  T1  37 DMCC 38 Jabal Ali 39 Ibn Battuta 40 Energy 41 Danube 42 UAE Exchange

The Red Line runs from Rashidiya in the east to Jebel Ali in the west and travels parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road for most of its length. It has 29 stations spanning 52.1 km (32.4 mi), which have been opened in phases from 2009 to 2011. The line is the world's longest single metro line to use driverless trains, as recognized by Guinness World Records in 2011.[2]

There are two designated transfer stations along the line; Union and BurJuman stations, where the Green and Red Lines intersect, allowing passengers to change between lines. The Red Line has its main depot at Rashidiya and an auxiliary depot at UAE Exchange.[3]

History

In 2013 the Red line lifted a total over 88 million passengers and the current daily average is about 243,000 people as of 2013, according to the RTA Statistics Office.[4]

Route

The Red Line has 29 stations; 24 elevated, 4 underground, and one at ground level. The line is 52.1 km (32.4 mi) long, with 4.7 km (2.9 mi) underground.

170 feeder buses provided by the RTA for commuters to commute to stations on the line are also in operation as of 15 October 2010.

Stations (In order from east to west)
English name	Arabic name	Opening date	Branch	Additional information
Rashidiya	الراشدية	09/09/09	Main	Main depot
Emirates	طيران الإمارات	30/04/10
Airport Terminal 3	المطار- مبنى رقم 3	09/09/09
Airport Terminal 1	المطار- مبنى رقم 1	30/04/10
GGICO	جي جي كو	15/05/10		Planned as Al Garhoud
Deira City Centre	ديرة سيتي سنتر	09/09/09
Al Rigga	الرقة	09/09/09
Union	الاتحاد	09/09/09		Interchange with Green Line
BurJuman	برجمان	09/09/09		Interchange with Green Line Opened as Khalid bin Al Waleed
ADCB	بنك أبوظبي التجاري	30/04/10		Opened as Al Karama
Al Jafiliya	الجافلية	09/09/09
World Trade Centre	المركز التجاري العالمي	15/05/10
Emirates Towers	أبراج الإمارات	30/04/10
Financial Centre	المركز المالي	09/09/09
Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall	دبي مول / برج خليفة	04/01/10
Business Bay	الخليج التجاري	15/10/10
Noor Bank	نور بنك	15/05/10		Planned as Al Quoz. Opened as Noor Islamic Bank.
First Abu Dhabi Bank	بنك أبوظبي الأول	15/10/10		Opened as First Golf Bank. Renamed FGB.
Mall of the Emirates	مول الإمارات	09/09/09
Mashreq		15/10/10		Opened as Sharaf DG
Dubai Internet City	مدينة دبي للانترنت	30/04/10
Nakheel	نخيل	15/10/10
DAMAC Properties	داماك العقارية	30/04/10		Interchange with Dubai Tram Opened as Dubai Marina
DMCC		15/10/10		Interchange with Dubai Tram Opened as Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Jabal Ali		15/10/10		Opened as Nakheel Harbour & Tower
Ibn Battuta	ابن بطوطة	30/04/10
Energy	الطاقة	30/09/13
Danube	دانوب	11/12/10		Opened as Jebel Ali Industrial
UAE Exchange	الإمارات العربية المتحدة للصرافة	11/03/11		Opened as Jebel Ali Auxiliary depot
Route 2020 branch splits off from Jabal Ali
The Gardens		Not yet opened	Route 2020	Provisional name
Discovery Gardens
Al Furjan
Jumeirah Golf Estates
Green Community
Expo 2020

Route 2020 extension

An extension of the Red Line to the Expo 2020 site was announced in December 2015 and completed mid-2019. The extension project, named "Route 2020" will create a branch of the line from Nakheel Harbour & Tower to the Expo 2020 site, near Al Maktoum International Airport. The 14.5 km extension will pass through Discovery Gardens, Dubai Investment Park, Al Furjan and Jumeirah Golf Estates and will comprise 7 new stations; 5 elevated and 2 underground. As a result of increasing popularity of the metro, the new stations will feature platforms wider than those found in current stations, to cope with greater ridership.

The track layout east of Nakheel Harbour & Tower station was modified to create a new branch and two additional platforms which will be used to serve the new route.

Services

The entire journey time on the Red Line is approximately 60 minutes, traveling at a maximum speed of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph), with 20–30 seconds stopping time at each station. The average time between stations on the Red Line will be 60–90 seconds. The RTA operates 27 trains in the morning peak hours and 29 trains in the evening peak hours with the interval between train services ranging from 6 to 8 minutes in the morning peak period, and from 5 to 6 minutes in the evening peak period.

Station naming

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has benefited significantly from businesses along the routes of the Red and Green lines sponsoring nearby stations. The naming initiative has so far generated over Dh2 billion in revenue for the RTA. On average, each station has brought in Dh90-100 million.

On 13 May 2010, it was announced that Al Quoz station, which opened on 15 May, would be named Noor Islamic Bank. This announcement that Noor Islamic Bank won the right to name Al Quoz Station for a period of ten years was made in the presence of the bank's representatives at the RTA headquarters in Dubai. Moreover, several other stations on the Red Line have been named after local and international corporate giants, including, Emirates Airlines, GGICO, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (Al Karama), First Abu Dhabi Bank, Sharaf DG, Nakheel, DAMAC Properties (Dubai Marina) and Danube (Jebel Ali Industrial).[5]

References

1. "090909 - day of the Dubai Metro", Arabian Business, 9 September 2009. Retrieved on 13 September 2009.
2. "Longest driverless metro line". Guinness World Records. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
3. "At a glance: Dubai Metro Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine", Gulf News, 19 March 2007. Retrieved on 17 June 2008.
4. Dubai Metro terminal station set to open on March 11
5. "Metro to add Red Line station on 12/12/12". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.