How can you get to the expo?

The Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai lays out a complete travel guide for visitors to the Expo

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed the preparedness of the infrastructure of roads and mass transit networks for providing unique, smooth, and express mobility service to visitors of Expo 2020 from Dubai and other emirates across the UAE. RTA has accomplished 15 projects to serve Expo 2020, costing more than Dh15 billion.

The portfolio of projects completed is highlighted by Route 2020 of Dubai Metro running 15 km and connecting seven stations, procuring 50 trains with roomy and stylish interiors, constructing roads spanning 138 lane-km with nine flyovers, deploying 200 public buses featuring top class specifications, designating 18 stations/stops for buses at hotspots in Dubai and other key cities of the UAE, deploying 15k taxis, limousines, managing 30k parking slots at Expo site, and using smart technologies, apps, and artificial intelligence to ease the movement of Expo visitors aboard the metro, buses and taxis.

RTA’s preparations for this mega global showpiece included the construction of the Enterprise Command and Control Centre, one of the biggest and most sophisticated control centres in the world. It also constructed the Intelligent Traffic Centre that uses cutting-edge smart technologies in managing traffic movement.

Service hours: The Red and Green Lines of Dubai Metro will offer passenger services from Saturday to Wednesday from 5 am to 1 am (of the following day). On Thursday, the service will run from 5 am to 2 am (of the following day), and on Friday from 8 am to 1.15 am (of the following day). The service frequency will be 2:38 minutes during peak times. Dubai Tram will provide service from Saturday to Thursday from 6 am to 1 am (of the following day), and on Friday from 8 am to 1 am (of the following day).

Expo Buses will operate from 6.30 am and continue service for 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. Passenger commuting service from the parking area (Expo Parking Shuttle) to the three Expo Gates will start at 9 am and continue for 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. Bus Service between Expo Gates (Expo People Mover) will start service at 6.30 am and continue service 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. Taxi and e-hail services will be running around the clock.

Crowd Management

RTA charted out technical event management plans and developed a structure for the mobility of Expo visitors using various transit means from the metro and bus stations inside and outside the emirate in addition to taxis deployed at the site. RTA also charted out a plan for managing the traffic movement on the surrounding roads and junctions during weekdays and weekends as well as days witnessing mega events throughout the period of Expo. It also charted out alternative plans for coping with all possible scenarios with the potential of causing snarls to ensure a permanent smooth traffic flow during the Expo period. RTA has communication and response plans during emergencies and crises including solutions for potential scenarios as well as plans for instant traffic conversions in the event of closures of all roads and junctions in the surrounds of the site.

Roads and Bridges

To ensure the smooth flow of traffic that serves Expo 2020 as well as future projects in the area, RTA has accomplished the improvement of the surrounding roads network in the area that included the construction of six flyovers to ensure free traffic movement in all directions. It also constructed 64 bridges stretching 13 km, 5 box tunnels extending 450 metres, and roads extending 138 lane-kilometres in addition to 25 entry lanes and 21 exit lanes for vehicles at the Expo site.

Route 2020

RTA had undertaken the construction of Route 2020 of the Dubai Metro. It extends 15 km from Jebel Ali Metro Station on the Red Line to Expo 2020 Station connecting seven stations and providing safe and smooth transport for visitors of the Expo as well as Dubai districts.

Route 2020 serves the Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park and Dubai Expo 2020 site.

It has a capacity of 46,000 riders per hour in both directions (23,000 riders per hour per direction). The number of riders is expected to reach 275,000 riders per day in 2030. Expo Station is expected to receive 35,000 daily visitors of Expo during weekdays, and the number is set to increase to 47,000 daily visitors during weekends. This number accounts for 29% of the total expected number of daily visitors to Expo.

The route links seven stations: one transfer station, three elevated stations, two underground stations and one iconic station: Expo 2020.

The exterior designs of Route 2020 stations feature an enhanced architectural design of the existing metro stations on both the Red and Green Lines. The designs consist of four different patterns including the iconic Expo Station and the interchange station between Route 2020 and the Red Line at Jebel Ali Station, which has a design analogous to the design of the present metro stations to maintain the identity and shape of the metro stations along the Sheikh Zayed Road. The other two patterns are for elevated and underground stations. The new designs allow for bigger capacities compared with the existing stations on the Red Line. Moreover, they have design elements emulating simplicity, modernity, and sustainability.

Expo Station, which can serve 29,000 riders per hour during peak times and 522,000 riders per day, has a unique plane-wing design symbolising Dubai’s take-off towards innovation. The station’s design serves the integration with public transit means with spaces for buses and taxis stands.

Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station is the biggest underground station in the entire Dubai Metro network. It can serve 11,555 riders per hour during peak times and about 250,000 riders per day.

Stations and Buses

To facilitate the movement of Expo visitors from different emirates, RTA announced the provision of free bus rides to visitors of Expo 2020 aboard Expo Riders buses from nine locations in the UAE. These include three in Abu Dhabi, two in Sharjah and one location in each of Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Al Ain. Thus, all Expo Riders public bus services will be free of charge for Expo visitors from Dubai and all emirates.

Nine stations: RTA established nine public bus stations to serve Expo visitors, distributed over key areas in Dubai, namely: Al Ghubaiba, Etisalat, Al Baraha, Dubai Silicon Oasis, International City, Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3), Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Mall, and the Global Village.

The construction of Expo bus stations catered to fulfilling the requirements and standards of integrated transportation and enhancing the interconnection of the city to facilitate the access of residents to and from public transport stations and ensure the safe and smooth access of pedestrians and cyclists to these means. The design also serves the needs of a qualifying environment for people of determination and boosted the connection between various transport stations, development projects, and attractions areas in the surrounds. As such, it focused on providing the requirements of the first and last-mile, and integrated transport such as public bus stops, cycling tracks, pedestrian crossings, landscaping, and bike racks to encourage residents to walk and use individual means of transportation.

New Generation: Al Ghubaiba Bus Station is a new generation of bus stations. It is characterised by its unique, modular design that combines innovative and effective solutions for engineering designs and the provision of stylish public transport services. Its design fulfils the requirements of environmental sustainability and the needs of the people of determination.

The Etisalat Bus Station is directly linked to Etisalat Metro Station on the Green Line of Dubai Metro, and the building consists of ground and mezzanine floors. It spans an area of 708 sq m accommodating 4,500 passengers and the number of daily users is expected to rise from 3,000 to 4,100 riders during the period of Expo. The station serves seven bus routes, which will rise to eight routes during Expo.

Modern Buses: The transit service for Expo 2020 visitors features buses of high safety and luxury standards, with comfortable seats and compatible with Euro 6 emission standards, making them the first of their kind in the MENA region. Buses are designed to deliver premium services to mass transit riders thanks to the high-class finishing works. Through the deployment of these high-quality buses across a wide geographical coverage, RTA seeks to make mass transit means the ideal choice of mobility for Expo visitors.

Taxis and Limos

RTA is deploying 15,000 taxis and limousines to serve the emirate and visitors. They include 9,710 taxis and 5,681 limousines, which can be booked through the e-hail services of Uber and Careem. RTA added 10 vehicles to serve people of determination at the Expo 2020 site.

Taxi initiatives include the automated taxi deployment system, which secures the required number of taxis at the Expo 2020 site. Also, there is an initiative for paying the taxi fare through the e-wallet using the Alipay App, and the QR code service, without using credit card payment devices. The service targets tourists and visitors from abroad. Initiatives also include Hala for booking taxis using bus arrival touch screens which integrates with the Careem app for booking taxis.

Mobility and Traffic Management

Enterprise Command and Control Centre: The Enterprise Command and Control Centre (EC3) is one of the biggest and most sophisticated control centres in the world in utilising smart technologies. It controls and integrates various RTA’s mass transit systems (metro, tram, buses, taxis and water transport), and connects several traffic control centres. Thus, it enables the efficient planning of mobility journeys besides coping with different transit challenges. The EC3 plays a key role in monitoring the multi-modal transit systems in the emirate, as well as managing incidents, crises, and events related to roads, transportation, and traffic.

Dubai’s Intelligent Traffic Centre: This is one of the most sophisticated control centres worldwide in terms of technologies used. It is a key pillar of the traffic safety strategy as well as the plan to expand the use of intelligent traffic systems and support the current and future transit means. It meets the huge expansion seen by the Emirate and the requirements for hosting major exhibitions such as Expo 2020. The centre is vital in managing the traffic on the Dubai roads network.