Riding on the Dubai Metro

Dubai Metro Train

The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network running in the UAE. 

The Red Line is partly operational. The Green Line is still under construction, and further lines are planned. These first two lines run underground in the city center and on elevated viaducts elsewhere. All trains and stations are air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible.

The first section of the Red line, covering 10 stations, was ceremonially inaugurated on Sept. 9, 2009, by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, with the line opening

Dubai Metro Train Station (1 of 11)

to the public at 6am on September 10th. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula. More than 110,000 people, which is nearly 10 percent of Dubai's population used the Metro in its first two days of operation. The Dubai Metro carried 10 million passenger from launch on Sept. 9, 2009 to Feb. 9, 2010 with 11 stations operational on the Red Line. Once the 20 km Green Line opens, the Dubai Metro will overtake the title of the longest fully automated metro network from the Vancouver Skytrain, surpassing it by 1km.

Mr. Big, Big Buddy and I waiting for the train to Atlantis.

The Dubai Metro track runs right behind our apartment out on The Palm. It was sure a lot of fun to watch the train pass by at all times during the day and night. Lucky for us, the train is very quiet. Thank goodness! 

The train stations are definitely a sight to see. The look and feel very space age in and out. Mr. Big, and I decided that we better take a ride on this marvel and did just that. We decided to ride on a weekend to get the full experience. We chose to ride from the nearest station all the way out to the edge of The Palm island. Here we are waiting for the train to arrive. It was very exciting!


Once on the train, Big Buddy really had a blast!

Wow I really look tired! Big Buddy having a good time
on the train.

Here we are, along with many other people (we chose a busy day to experience the ride). Turns out that it is quite common for Arabs to take their family on the weekend on the Dubai Metro to Atlantis. Atlantis sits a the end of the Palm and is a huge water park! Many of them stay and swim, while others just go for lunch and to mill around and then back on the train they go. We went in the evening, so we were able to see some spectacular views of the city alongside the beach front.

Dubai city scape along the beach.