Eating and drinking top Metro violations

As many as 12,948 tickets were issued for violations on Dubai Metro trains from January to July this year with a monthly average of 1,850 violations.

The Red and Green Lines of Dubai Metro have been witnessing a huge throng — over 300 million passengers used the Green and Red lines since the beginning of Metro services till July this year, with a daily average of 364,779 passengers from January to July this year.

However, the Red Line is used more by passengers than the Green Line. The average number of passengers using the Red Line daily reached 236,044 from January to July, against 128,735 commuters on the Green Line in the same period. Mohammed Al Mudharreb, Director of Rail Operation at the Roads and Transport Authority’s Rail Agency, ascribed the violations committed by passengers to a lack of culture of optimal use of the services though the RTA had distributed booklets and leaflets containing information and guidelines on the terms that should be followed inside the trains and stations to maintain the safety of passengers and trains.

The booklets also contained a detailed explanation of the types of violations and fines applicable in this regard.

Al Mudharreb pointed out that eating and drinking in prohibited areas was the most common violation, followed by moving in a carriage other than the allowed one like people travelling in the Gold carriage when they had only Silver cards and men travelling in carriages meant for women and children.

The BurJuman (Khalid bin Al Waleed) Metro Station, which is one of the two transfer stations where the Red and Green lines intersect, was the most used station by passengers since it is near the popular trading shops and residential areas. The average daily number of passengers who used the BurJuman Metro Station from January to July came to 23,000 followed by Al Ittihad (Union) Metro Station which is the other transfer station.

The Union station, he said, was characterised by being close to the business hub in Dubai. It saw an average of 20,000 passengers daily during that period, while the Deira City Centre Station witnessed a daily average of 18,000 passengers.

The Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station was the least used station with only 618 on average daily from January to July since it is far away from residential and commercial areas, followed by the Etisalat station with 1,911 passengers using it daily during that period.

The RTA operates 79 trains now — 62 on the Red Line and 17 on the Green Line.

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