Dubai Metro lifts 184m passengers since launch

The Dubai Metro rail network, which celebrates three years in operation on Sunday, has lifted a total of 184 million passengers since its launch.

The public transport project, which opened with the Red Line on September 9 2009, has carried 151.7m on the original line with another 32.5m using the Green Line which started operations a year ago.

The Red Line extends 52km and comprises 29 stations while the Green Line spans 23km and comprises 18 stations.

Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), said: "This huge success has gone beyond the boundaries of the emirate to the world over, stamping the prominent standing of Dubai as a distinctive metropolitan city and a hub for business as well as sophisticated living standards.

"The Dubai Metro is also viewed as an iconic addition to the landmarks and high-flying achievements of the Dubai emirate, particularly as it used cutting-edge technology of the rail industry, and carved a niche for itself as the world's longest driverless metro project."

He added that the metro was a key part of the RTA's objective to see 30 percent of residents using public transport by 2030.

Last month it was reported that 17 home owners in Dubai have been granted a total of AED4.25m ($1.1m) in compensation following damage caused by vibrations from Al Rashidiya Metro Depot.

Dubai’s RTA awarded each of the homeowners AED25,000 after conducting a series of tests which found several cracks in the houses were caused by vibrations of trains nearby.

Authorities in January recorded a noise level of 69.5 decibels in the area, just below the maximum 70.7 decibels permitted. The RTA said it had since banned the use of horns in the depot and plans to build sound barriers to protect affected homes.

The Dubai Metro was the first driverless network of its kind in the Middle East.

The metro was originally designed to have six lines stretching across the city, but plans were scaled back in the wake of Dubai’s debt crisis, triggered in late 2008.