No one does hyperbole like Dubai and when the head of the RTA (Road and Transport Authority) described the Metro as ‘the best in the world’, no one batted an eyelid.
It isn’t, of course – with 19 of the 29 stations on the Red Line not ready, long waiting times and a three-tier class system it’s not even close to benchmark subways such as those in Seoul or Hong Kong.
Yet the opening is a huge landmark for the city – a place as dependent as anywhere else in the world on the car. So will it make a difference? And will non-drivers forego taxis and use the Metro instead?
As a driverless train, the potential benefits are huge: Dubai has an estimated 2 million cars on the roads – more than the Emirate’s 1.6 million residents. But will those drivers leave their cars behind and actually use the Metro? As a resident who is dependent on the city’s public transport network (well taxis, anyway) I decided to conduct an experiment.
I was sitting at a Filipino fast food restaurant in Hudaiba Street in the centre of Dubai at midday. If I walked outside and hailed a taxi, it would take around 25 minutes to get to Dubai Marina at the other side of the city and cost about Dh50 ($14). Instead, I would try and make it home only using the Metro.
I wandered outside. In the distance I could see Sheikh Zayed Road’s towers, a mere five-minute drive by taxi. I trudged through the heat, through Satwa’s staccato accommodation and eventually – after crossing through a construction site and taking a five-minute detour to find a way across a six-lane road – I made it to Dubai’s main thoroughfare.
The nearest Metro station was another 10-minute walk away – it was now 30 minutes since I had left the restaurant and I was drenched in sweat. I decided to take a shortcut and hailed a taxi.
My driver ferried me to the next station – it looked closed, but there were people walking across the pedestrian overpass. I got out, paid the Dh10 ($2.7) and staggered towards the entrance. It was closed. The ‘pedestrians’ were labourers and with no other taxis in sight, I faced another 10-minute walk to the next station.
I carried on and eventually made it, very hot, but relieved to have finally arrived, particularly given the blasting air conditioning inside.
The stations are spacious and well laid out, at least until you get to the ticket machines: there are not enough of these, and even in the middle of the day, there were queues to get out.
There are three carriage classes: gold, women and children and standard.
I decided, after the mammoth trek to get there, to use the gold carriage. Costing Dh11 ($3) the RTA says that this class ‘boasts exclusive lighting and design’ – they are right in this, with the décor somewhere between a hospital waiting room and a Disneyworld ride.
Being driverless, you can sit at the very front of the train. This gives you widescreen views of the city as you go over and under the bridges that cross Sheikh Zayed Road.
Most of the passengers seemed to be day-trippers, coming out to experience the city from a new vantage point. With the vast majority of stations not ready, it’s still not practical for commuters, but it does give a new perspective on the city.
After sweeping through various unfinished stations, we arrived at the Mall of the Emirates stop. There was one more stop on the line: Nakheel Harbour and Tower – but as there is nothing there but a massive multi-storey car park, I got off with the crowds at Mall of the Emirates.
From there I walked another 10 minutes to the taxi rank and paid Dh25 ($16) to get back home to the Marina. So getting home using the Metro took one hour and 25 minutes and cost me Dh60 ($16), whereas a taxi would have taken about 30 minutes and cost Dh50 ($14).
While that was just my experience, it mirrors the attitude of many in Dubai towards the Metro, namely ‘wait and see’. For the moment at least, don’t expect Dubai to give up its love affair with the car.
What are the other two cabins, the “women and children only” and the “standard,” like?