Life made easier as the Green Line opens

The much-awaited public opening of Dubai Metro’s Green Line finally took place on Saturday morning.

A few people had gathered as early as at 5.31am, at the Etisalat Metro Station in Al Qusais to board the first metro towards the Creek station.

Among the excited people who had come to witness the moment was Hassan Abdul Kuthus who had brought along with him his wife and father for the first ride on the Green Line.

“It is a proud moment for all people living in Dubai and it is a tribute to the visionary leadership which believes in helping its people with better services,” said Hassan who was thrilled to be on the new metro.

Hassan who works as a civil engineer in a construction company had specially taken a few hours leave from office to be a part of the metro inaugural.

Another passenger on the same metro was Ron Daily who had brought along his six-month old toddler for a joy ride on the metro. “It’s an off day and I wanted to see the new sights during sunrise. The metro is a phenomenal service and these new stations will make it easier to commute between congested areas of the city,” said Ron who works near Mall of the Emirates in Barsha.

He added that the new line would help reduce traffic congestion on roads. “I am considering a switch from car travel to the metro services as there is better connectivity and easier access to places near my home.” While the official opening of the Green Line took place on Friday, commuters were allowed to board the trains only yesterday. Valerine Lewis woke-up early to get on the metro and reach the St Mary’s Church in Oud Metha. The commute which usually takes 30 minutes by car from Qusais was cut down to about 12 minutes.

“I used to visit the church once every week but the Green Line has made the journey really short and convenient. I am planning to come to the church every day and there couldn’t be a better service,” said Valerine.

The numbers of commuters are expected to rise from today as the Green Line will serve office staff and tourists visiting areas in and around Deira, Qusais, Oud Metha and Bur Dubai.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is expecting 100,000 passengers to ride on the metro every day with the addition of new stations.

Ashraf Kola who boarded the metro at Al Ras said the metro was now going to be a part of a new lifestyle for many people living in the areas served by the Green Line. “It hardly takes five minutes to reach my office on the metro. I wish it had opened earlier as there is no other mode of transport which is more convenient,” said Ashraf who works at the Rashid hospital in Oud Metha.

Before the opening of the Green Line, Ashraf travelled to his office in a public bus. The journey would take anywhere between 25 to 40 minutes depending on the traffic. With the opening of the Green Line, the same journey now takes less than five minutes.

For Mohammed Aftab, the new stations offer extra time to spend with friends and family.

“I have been waiting since many months for these stations to open. The fares are cheap and the biggest benefit is the time saved while travelling on a metro as there is no traffic,” said Aftab.

A total of 18 new stations including the two transfer stations have opened on the Green Line with two more stations expected to open later.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE