Dubai’s driverless wonder on a roll

Dubai (WAM): The driverless wonder on wheels, Dubai Metro, has captured the hearts of millions of Dubai travellers. No surprise, when it celebrated its fifth anniversary on Tuesday, accolades poured in from varied sections of society, commented a U.A.E. daily. It was on 9/9/09 that Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, opened the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, which stretches 52 km and covers 29 stations comprising 4 underground stations, 24 elevated stations, and one station at the grade. Two years after the start of the operation of the Dubai Metro Red Line, namely on 9/9/2011, Sheikh Mohammed opened the Dubai Metro Green Line, which spans 23 km linking 18 stations including 6 underground stations, and 12 elevated stations. "Sheikh Mohammed, whose brainchild Dubai Metro is, envisaged the sophisticated facility to shape as the backbone of the transport system that connects various vital areas in the emirate and provides easy and safe mobility for passengers," said The Gulf Today in its editorial yesterday. According to official statistics, the number of Dubai Metro Red Line users since the start of operation on 9/9/2009 until last August, soared to 333,661,032 riders. The number of riders has grown steadily, jumping from 38,887,718 riders in 2010 to 60,024,794 riders in 2011. In 2013, it continued its upward trajectory to touch 88,886,539 riders, and in the first eight months of this year, the number of Red Line users climbed to 67,054,535 riders. The total number of Green Line users, which was opened on 9/9/2011, until the end of last August, went up to the tune of 134,251,247 riders. The number of Green Line users in 2012 was about 37,577,000 riders, and shot even higher in 2013 to as many as 48,872,719 riders, whereas in the first eight months of this year the number has already touched 38,819,433 riders. As Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority, Mattar Al Tayer, rightly put it, Dubai Metro has added a beautiful new dimension to the landmarks and towering achievements of Dubai, especially as it uses the latest technology in the rail industry and is considered to be the longest driverless Metro line worldwide. The paper concluded by saying: "What is highly commendable is that over the past five years of operation, no single incident was reported about breaching the code or vandalising the facilities of the project. Besides, Dubai Metro has scored high marks on sticking to timetables and offering high-level safety standards." – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/general/1395269417044.html