By Nadeem Hanif, Staff Reporter www.xpress4me.com
It’s the fourth week after the launch of the Dubai Metro, but most residents have not taken to it for their daily commute. The only rush seen on the trains is in the evenings and on weekends.
The scene inside train carriages around the world during the morning rush hour is often one of chaos with barely enough room to stand.
But on the Dubai Metro trains, there is ample room to stretch out, with just a handful of people in each of the carriages.
Come evening and it’s a different story as tourists and families pack into the trains for joyrides.
Riding with the people
XPRESS joined the passengers on their journeys to work from the Nakheel Harbour and Tower station to Rashidiya and then back during the morning rush hour on Tuesday, September 22.
As we stood at the Nakheel Harbour and Tower station at 7.30am, we saw a small but steady stream of commuters coming in to board the train.
Adrian Fernandez, 33, from Mumbai, India, was commuting to his office near the Khalid Bin Al Waleed station for the first time.
He said: “I have used it for leisure, but wanted the kinks in the service to be ironed out before attempting to use it for work.
“It’s pretty quiet, but that might be due to lots of people still off on Eid break; but I’m not sure.”
He said the feeder bus service from his home at Discovery Gardens to the station was confusing.
Maya Apostolovic, from Slovenia, was travelling from Rashidiya to the Mall of the Emirates to work and has been commuting since the public launch on September 10.
She said she likes the service as she gets time to read books during the journey. “People need to trust it first before they decide to use it more. I think once more stations and trains come into use next year, people will use it more.”
Sunil Somanthan, 30, from India, a hotelier at Jumeirah Lake Towers and who lives in Discovery Gardens, said: “I’m using it for the first time, for leisure. I don’t think I’ll use it for work for the time-being because the station nearest to my office is not open yet.”
How it fares
- A ride from Nakheel Harbour and Tower to Rashidiya Station costs Dh4.10.
- The cost of a journey from Rashidiya station to Khalid Bin Al Waleed station is Dh2.30.
- The fare for the journey from Khalid Bin Al Waleed station to Nakheel Harbour and Tower station is Dh4.10 because of travel between two zones.
