Additional cabin for women, kids on Dubai Metro

Official announcement will be made only by February 15, Dh100 fine for men entering these cabins.

Dubai - Dubai Metro will now have an additional cabin exclusively for women and children.

With the current women-only cabin and the cabin extension during peak hours being insufficient, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has decided to provide another entire cabin space for women and children.

Though an official announcement will be made only by February 15, posters and signage have been placed on platforms and inside the trains as well.

“We’ve been conducting regular trials and surveys for the past year in this matter. The responses we’ve received from our public surveys have been very positive as well. As of now, we are updating the banners and signage on the platforms and trains,” Mohammed Mudharreb, Director of Rail Operations at the RTA, told Khaleej Times.

He added: “After February 15, the RTA marketing department will run an awareness campaign that will announce this decision to the public.” Until now, there was an extension service for women during peak hours.

The extension service was made active on September 1, 2013, from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 8pm, from Sunday to Thursday.

The men flouting the new rule and enter the exclusive cabins will be fined Dh100, said Mudharreb.

A few lady commuters with whom Khaleej Times spoke stated that the decision to introduce a new cabin is a welcome step because the peak time rush in the metro trains is very high. Some men also agreed to the initiative, stating that sometimes standing for long distances can tire women.

Egyptian national Bashar Hassan and resident of Dubai said: “In fact, there should be more than two cabins for women, especially during peak times, because the trains are so congested. Special provisions should also be made for pregnant women and small children.”

Another commuter and resident of Dubai Shebina Varghese said: “I use the metro everyday, and I think there should be more than two cabins for women. After 6pm, especially after the Business Bay station on the Red Line, there are so many passengers who enter the train leaving it jampacked.”

Filipina national Mona Maglanque said: “I think this is a great initiative, because even during off-peak hours, we hardly find a place to sit in the metro trains.”

Changed frequency

To deal with the rush-hour crowd, the RTA has also decreased the train headway on the Red Line to two minutes 38 seconds during peak hours. Mudharreb said: “The Dubai Metro Red Line has one of the shortest headway between trains. There is a train every two minutes 38 seconds during peak hours.” The average daily ridership of the Dubai Metro last year exceeded 450,000 and the figure went past the half-million mark during holidays.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com