Dubai RTA finally opens DIC/TECOM Metro Station

And 6 other stations, including Ibn Battuta mall and Karama. Goodbye, morning taxi and evening bus. Hello, practically every significant location in Dubai.

Metro hasn't dented taxi business, say cab drivers

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/April/theuae_April470.xml§ion=theuae
I do sympathize with the cabbies' overall decline in business, although I can't help but feel a little smug reading this line:

With greater competition and fewer passengers, one perennial complaint against cab drivers has come down significantly — that of being choosy when it came to picking up passengers. Now, they can’t afford to do that.

This used to be a major annoyance, cabbies choosing only long-trip and/or high-demand-destination passengers. Some of them still do this, as I have witnessed in heated negotiations at taxi points. A couple of years back, getting cabs for a journey within the old town was near impossible due to this practice, and overall higher demand.

RTA opens 7 metro stations on 30 April, 3 others on 15 May

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100417101655/RTA%20opens%207%20metro%20stations%20on%2030%20April%2C%203%20others%20on%2015%20May
Huzzah! In a suprising (but very welcome) move, the RTA has moved the opening date for my neighborhood metro station, Dubai Internet City/Tecom, from undefined-but-much-later to April 30th, which means massive savings of both time and money for yours truly.

Extra trains to help reduce Dubai Metro journey times

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100312/NATIONAL/703119824/0/BUSINESS
Well, at least there is SOMETHING to look forward to this April.

Red Line opening held up

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100121034059/Red%20Line%20opening%20held%20up
Excellent!

Dashing through Dubai ... on a driverless rail sleigh ...

A trip along the Red Line at 474 mph

(or how it would appear if it really went that fast)

First Dubai Metro Trip

Quite pleased that Dubai has joined the ranks of the 150 or so metrified cities in the world, I took my first trip today, on Tuesday the 15th of September, nearly a week after the official launch. While there were some teething and adaptation issues in the first week (someone apparently hit the emergency stop button, thinking it was like the stop buttons on the public buses), things appear to have more or less settled by now.

For now, only 10 stations are open, so I had to take a cab from the one closest to my destination. Still, the savings are immense, and the time taken to get there was comparable to that which would be taken by a private vehicle. Getting in and out was smooth and hassle-free with the wave-and-walk Nol card. It was all so ... first world.

Some of the stations are especially impressive and unique, and the frequency and punctuality seem to be well planned. Some stations were dug surprisingly deep into the earth. The cars were also comfortable and sharp-looking. I expect to use a lot of this service, considering how close stations are to my home and other areas of interest.

Dubai gets a Metro

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10347416.html

There is a metro stop very close to my home, close to where my relatives live, and not too far from where my university is located. Not to mention the stops near major malls and hubs. The launch also coincides with the rollout of a new unified proximity fare card system called "Nol" for bus, metro and waterbus transport. As a nod towards market segmentation and/or social stratification, there is going to be a "Gold Class" of coaches. Definitely as a nod to the segregation options available to women and families in this part of the world, there is going to be a coach for women and children too (wonder what happens if you are a father with your children). While the traffic congestion and taxi availability problem that ostensibly motivated its development have mostly disappeared due to the recession, it is still a relatively cheap*fast means of long-distance transport, and will be especially useful once the economy recovers (and may even contribute to said recovery). Looking forward to a ride on the weekend, and the remaining stations opening in the near future.