Overview
The Dubai Metro (Arabic: مترو دبي, Mitrū Dubayy) is the rapid transit system serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was the first rapid transit train network in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf Cooperation Council, beginning operations on 9 September 2009. The system runs underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere, and all trains are fully automated and driverless. Both the trains and the stations are temperature controlled and fitted with platform edge doors.
For a visitor, riding end to end is straightforward. You enter a station, tap your ticket or smartcard at the gate, descend or ascend to the platform, and board the next train in the direction you need. Because the network is divided into zones, the fare for your journey is calculated automatically from the number of zones you pass through, and it is deducted when you tap out at your destination. Trains are frequent — on the Red Line, roughly every 5 to 7 minutes off-peak, with a minimum headway of about 3 minutes 45 seconds at peak times. Metro services generally run from early morning until around midnight, with slightly later finishes on Fridays and a later Sunday start.
Two classes are available: Standard and Gold. Gold class costs more and offers more spacious individual seats. If you plan to make more than a handful of trips, a stored-value smartcard is the practical choice, since it gives a discount on single fares and transfers are not charged.
The network
The Dubai Metro currently has a total length of 89.6 kilometres (56 mi) and 55 stations across two lines. Two further lines are under construction.
- Red Line — 67.1 kilometres (42 mi) with 35 stations. It stretches along the city from the Jebel Ali area to the border with Sharjah and passes several major tourist attractions, including Mall of the Emirates, The Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. Route 2020 is a 15-kilometre (9 mi) extension of the Red Line with seven new stations, running from Jebel Ali Station to Expo 2020; it opened in stages in 2021 and is served by new, redesigned trains from Alstom. A further extension will take the line to Al Maktoum International Airport.
- Green Line — 22.5 kilometres (14 mi) with 20 stations. It stays within the old Dubai area and passes historical sites such as the Dubai Museum, the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk. Stations near those places are built in keeping with the historical architecture of Dubai.
- Blue Line — under construction, 30 kilometres (19 mi) with 14 stations, scheduled to open in 2029. It will extend from the Red Line terminus at Centrepoint Station and the Green Line terminus at Creek Station.
- Gold Line — under construction, 42 kilometres (26 mi) with 18 stations, scheduled to open in 2032. It will run from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates, with interchanges to the existing Red and Green Lines and a future interchange with Etihad Rail.
Beyond the metro, Dubai's public transport network includes the following:
- Dubai Tram — a light-rail line serving the coastal area. It connects Al Sufouh, Palm Jumeirah and Media City with Dubai Marina, JLT and JBR. It runs Monday to Saturday 06:00–01:00 and Sunday 09:00–01:00, and its fares follow the same zone-based structure as the metro.
- Public buses — a network covering most of the city, with some routes running 24 hours. Operating hours are generally 04:00–01:00, and fares start at AED 3 per ride, paid with a nol card. Intercity bus lines linking Dubai with the other emirates start with an "E".
- Water transport — traditional abra boats cross Dubai Creek, offering views of both the old and new districts, with fares ranging from about AED 1 to AED 120 per person depending on the service. Ferry services also operate, at an average cost of roughly AED 350–520 per trip depending on route. Water bus and marine transport can be paid for with a nol card.
Tickets & fares
Dubai's public transport map is divided into seven zones, each containing metro, tram and public bus stations. Fares are calculated by the number of zones you pass through during a journey and are deducted automatically from your card's electronic purse. Transfers between different transport modes, such as metro to bus, must be completed within 30 minutes (measured from check-out to check-in) to be charged as a single journey based on the combined zones passed. The maximum journey duration is 180 minutes, and a maximum of three transfers is allowed.
Several ticket and card types are available:
- nol Red Ticket — a single-trip paper ticket, best if you will use public transport no more than about five times in total during your stay and do not expect to transfer. Fares are AED 4 within one zone, AED 6 for two adjacent zones, and AED 8.50 for more than two zones (Gold class: AED 8, AED 12 and AED 17 respectively).
- nol Silver Card — a stored-value smartcard, and in most cases the right option for a visitor. It gives a discount on single fares and transfers are not charged. Prepaid fares are AED 3 (one zone), AED 5 (two zones) and AED 7.50 (three or more zones).
- nol Gold Card — the premium stored-value card, with prepaid fares of AED 6, AED 10 and AED 15 for the same zone bands. Gold class passengers pay a surcharge on top of regular fares on tram and metro only, and the surcharge is not charged twice for the same zone when transferring between tram and metro.
- nol Blue Card — a concessionary card, with fares of AED 1.50, AED 2.50 and AED 3.75 for the same zone bands.
- Travel passes — nol cards can be loaded with 7-, 30-, 90- or 365-day passes. Silver passes cost AED 50/80/110 for 7 days, AED 140/230/350 for 30 days, AED 330/550/830 for 90 days and AED 1060/1770/2670 for 365 days, depending on whether you choose 1 zone, 2 zones or all zones. Gold passes cost roughly double those amounts. Student and senior passes are available at reduced rates. Anonymous silver and gold cards are eligible for the 7-day pass only; registered cards can carry the longer passes.
You can buy and top up cards at stations and through official channels. Silver and gold cards can also be topped up using the nol Pay app together with an NFC-capable smartphone and a credit card. The nol card is also used for water bus and marine transport and for RTA paid parking (silver, gold and blue cards) by tapping at parking meters.
All fares and pass prices above are approximate, are given in UAE dirhams, and are subject to change — always check current prices with the operator before you travel.
From the airport
Dubai's main airport is Dubai International Airport (DXB). Terminals 1 and 3 each have their own metro station, and from there it takes about 15–20 minutes to reach the city centre of Dubai. This is the simplest public-transport option from the main airport.
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) is the eventual replacement airport, open to passenger flights and serving several destinations. It sits in Jebel Ali at the far south-western end of Dubai, nearly 60 km from central Dubai. From there, the local bus line F55 goes to the Expo 2020 metro station, and at night the bus line N55 runs from the airport to the Al Ghubaiba bus station in the city centre. Both F55 and N55 depart about every 30 minutes. Taking public transport from this airport to the city centre takes at least two hours, day or night. A train line is planned.
Two other airports in the region can also feed you into Dubai by public transport. Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) is about 30 minutes by road from Dubai, and a bus service by Air Arabia runs from the airport to the Rashidiya Metro Station in Dubai, which is located close to Dubai International Airport. Zayed International Airport (AUH) in Abu Dhabi is connected to Dubai by the E102 bus service, which runs between Ibn Battuta Bus Station and the airport; it costs 25 dirham with a nol card or 35 dirham if you buy a ticket at a counter at the Abu Dhabi Airport.
Etiquette & customs
Dubai's metro is modern, clean and heavily used, and a few simple habits will keep your journey smooth:
- Queuing — stand behind the platform edge doors and let passengers off before you board. Boarding is orderly, and pushing ahead is poorly received.
- Escalators — stand on the right and leave the left side clear for people walking past.
- Priority seating — designated seats are reserved for women, children and people with disabilities, and these allocations are taken seriously. Gold class carriages are a separate paid class, so make sure you hold the right ticket before sitting there.
- Eating and drinking — eating and drinking are not permitted on the metro, and this rule is enforced.
- Rush hour — the busiest times are roughly 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:00, notably on the Red Line (for example between Business Bay and BurJuman). If you can shift your journey outside those windows, you will have a much more comfortable ride.
- Heat — in the summer, the intense heat makes walking to and from stations impractical, so many visitors take a taxi even for the short hop to the nearest metro station.
Official links
Survival terms
- مترو (mitrū) — metro / subway
- تذكرة (tadhkira) — ticket
- خط (khaṭṭ) — line
- مدخل (madkhal) — entrance
- مخرج (makhraj) — exit
- تحويل (taḥwīl) — transfer
- أجرة (ujra) — fare
- بطاقة يومية (biṭāqa yawmiyya) — day pass
Before you set out, check the operator's journey planner and current fares for your route, since prices and timetables change and the network is still expanding.