|
The verdict is unanimous — we love the Metro! You don't have to queue for the ferris wheel, the popcorn stand or even for a stint on the go-karts at this year's Global Village, but you do have to wait your turn to grab a sneak preview of the Dubai Metro train.
A popular stand at the Dubai Shopping Festival's round-the-world experience on Emirates Road, more than 10,000 visitors are estimated to have waited patiently to board the first prototype model of the train which will be operational in 2009.
Nisha Barder, 41, queued with her family. The receptionist has lived in Dubai for 10 years and said she cannot wait for the Metro to ease traffic in the city.
She said: "Any other stand provided by the Road Transport Authority (RTA) or the Municipality would probably be the least visited. But this stand is packed with people. It's very interesting to see something we have waited so long for and will change the city forever."
Moving swiftly on
The Dubai Metro will be one of the most advanced urban rail systems in the world and will be a catalyst for tourism and financial and economic growth.
The 52km Red Line will have 29 stations and run from Rashidiya to Jebel Ali station passing the American University of Dubai en route.
The Green Line which will have 14 stations — six underground and eight at ground level — will run from Al Ittihad Square to Rashidiya bus station via Deira City Centre and Dubai Airport Terminals 1 and 3.
Both lines run underground in the city centre; elsewhere trains will run on elevated rail lines.
The train at Global Village gives visitors a realistic idea of what the carrier will be like. Eventually there will be 99 trains in total, fully air-conditioned and designed to meet Dubai's specific requirements.
Each five-car train will be approximately 75 metres long, seating around 400 passengers but with standing room for many more. Numerous double doors will allow fast and smooth flows of passengers at each station.
The trains will offer a standard class with a women and children only section plus an exclusive first class carriage.
State of the art
They will be driverless and fully automated, providing a safe and reliable service with frequencies as often as every 90 seconds at peak hours, and windows to provide panoramic views over the elevated sections.
Rashad Ali Khan said: "The Dubai Shopping Festival is a great platform to showcase such an important item.
"The Global Village is very popular and new people are arriving here every day and night. You can hear the comments around and everyone is very pleased and excited about the Metro. I think there may need to be more seats but I was told the actual train will be slightly bigger than the model."
Casanova
Mohammad said: "The train is clearly state-of-the-art and I think it's all very exciting. It's weird to think you don't need a driver and that will save time and money.
"This is exactly what Dubai needs and it's great that it's on show for people to see."
Najmaddin, a Dubai resident, said he is very impressed by the standard of the train. He added: "I think the trains are of a very high standard and I believe people will be pleased to use them.
"It is good they have different class carriages because then everyone will be encouraged to board a train instead of taking the car."
|
