EW Guide to getting around Dubai by Metro

The Dubai Metro launched in September 2009 and has been used by over a million people! It is a great serviceDubai How to Guide to getting around dubai by Metro for residents and tourists alike…you can use it for shopping trips, sightseeing trips and commuting all over Dubai.

Below is all the information you need about using the metro, from where the stations are, to how to buy a ticket- so get on the metro to experience something new, reduce your carbon footprint or just to relax from the pressure of driving!

The Stations

The red line runs from Rashidiya to Jebel Ali and the green line will run from Al Qusais to Jaddaf. The green line will not be open till August 2011. There are 29 stations on the red line, of which 22 are now operational. The other stations are ready but are being opened in phases.

Red Line Stations

1.    Rashidiya
2.    Emirates
3.    Airport Terminal 3
4.    Airport Terminal 1
5.    GGICO
6.    Deira City Centre
7.    Al Rigga
8.    Union Square
9.    Khalid Bin Al Waleed
10.    Al Karama
11.    Al Jafiliya
12.    World Trade Centre
13.    Emirates Towers
14.    Financial Centre
15.    Burj Khalifa
16.    Business Bay
17.    Al Quoz
18.    First Gulf Bank
19.    Noor Islamic Bank
20.    Mall of the Emirates
21.    Sharaf DG
22.    Dubai Internet City
23.    Nakheel
24.    Dubai Marina
25.    Jumeirah Lake Towers
26.    Nakheel Harbour and Towers
27.    Ibn Battuta
28.    Energy
29.    Jebel Ali Industrial
30.    Jebel Ali

About the trains

Trains run from 6am to 11pm, Saturday to Thursday and from 2pm to midnight on Fridays. During Ramadan, train times are from 6am to midnight, Saturday to Thursday and 2pm to midnight on Fridays.

There is a dedicated compartment for ladies and children only, but ladies can also travel in other compartments on the train.

Metro passengers will not have to wait for trains for a long time as the train will arrive at a station with an interval of initially 10 minutes. The  train headway has been reduced to three to four minutes during peak hours last year.

The train doors are synchronised with the platform glass screen doors and they will remain open from 15 to 20 seconds and the time can be extended during peak hours.

General Facilities

Car parking for Dubai Metro users will be free at the three designated parking lots including one each at Al Rashidiya, Al Qusais and Nakheel Harbour and Tower Stations. Parking at these parking lots will be Dh10 per hour and Dh50 per day for those not using the Metro. Roadside parking in paid parking zones is not free.

Bicycles and big luggage are not allowed inside the trains.

There are pick up and drop off areas for passengers at every station.
Taxis are available at all the stations. The RTA has built special taxi ranks at every station.

Dubai Metro stations have been designed serve as mini shopping centre as they have food outlets, convenience stores, airline booking and travel offices, ATMs and even bank counters. There will also be vending machines for soft drinks, newspapers and Metro tickets/cards.

There will be WiFi internet access and mobile phone coverage through the Metro track and stations including the underground parts of the Metro.

All the stations have washroom / toilet facilities for the public and special needs people.

Fares and tickets

The Nol Card is a unified automated fare collection card (UAFC) introduced by the RTA as part of its new unified fare collection system for all modes of transports. There are four categories of Nol Cards. Nol is an old Persian word, which means ‘tariff’ or ‘fare’. It was previously used in the UAE to mean ‘fare’, but is not in common use these days. Nol cards can be used for all modes of transport including the metro, buses and water transport. At later stage, it will be used for parking as well.

Fares for the Dubai Metro range from a minimum Dh1.8 to a maximum Dh6.5 for a single journey, depending on the distance covered. The passengers will be able to use public buses and the metro with the same fare to complete their journey.

Children up to five-year-old and up to 90 cm tall can travel free of charge. People with special needs, the elderly and senior citizens (60 years and above) and students will receive special discounted fares.

Commuters have various ticket options for riding Metro trains. They can buy single journey tickets ranging from Dhs 2 to Dhs 6.5, daily passes for Dhs 14 and monthly passes ranging from Dhs 100, Dhs 180 and Dhs 270 depending on their journey plans.

If you buy a Nol Red ticket, you have to use it within 90 days and this will be calculated from the date of purchase of your ticket. But other types of tickets such as Nol Silver Card, Nol Golden Card and Nol Blue Card are valid for five years. All you need to do is top up your account.

All tickets must be purchased before travel and are available from ticket offices, dedicated outlets and ticket vending machines.

There is only one fare to complete the journey using the Metro and bus or either of them. A passenger can take a free trip on the bus if he gets into the bus within 30 minutes of alighting from the Metro and vice versa.

When you enter a bus you need to touch your card onto the Nol card reader, located near the Bus driver. When you exit the bus, you also need to touch your card on the reader. The system will check that your card has a valid travel pass, calculate the fare for the trip you have just taken and deduct that amount from your e-purse, or deduct one trip from your card, whichever the case may be. If you do not check-out, the system will always deduct the maximum fare, so you should always remember to check-out.

A Nol Card can be used on all modes of travel. But, with a Nol Red Ticket you cannot change modes of travel using the same ticket. So it can only be used for Bus only or Metro only.

The balance of your Nol Card will be shown when you check-in / check-out on Metro and buses. You can also view it from any ticket vending machine, ticket office, and authorised sales agents. Soon, you will be able to check it online by visiting www.nol.ae

Fare is deducted when a Nol Card is tapped on a card reader located at the exit gates of the metro gates, bus and the water bus after completing the journey.

Cards are ideal for you if you are a frequent traveller or wish to travel across different modes of transport using a single card. Tickets are ideal for visitors and occasional travellers.

You will not be able to use cash to pay for Bus, Metro and Water Bus. You have to buy Nol Red Ticket or Nol Card before riding any of these transport means.

Feeder Buses

A feeder bus service is dedicated to feeding Dubai Metro stations, enabling passengers to reach the stations from the nearby communities. Its route number starts with the letter ‘F’.

Almost every metro station is served with feeder buses, which will carry passengers to communities around the stations. Buses are available every 10 minutes on every station. Electronic boards inside the stations will be used to inform passengers about the arrival and departure of buses.

Park and Ride Stations

Red line
•    Car park with 3,000 spaces at Nakheel Harbour and Tower station
•    Car park with 2,714 spaces at Rashidiya station
•    There will be small car parks at every station
Green Line
•    Car park with 6,500 spaces at Etisalat station (will cater to users from Sharjah)
•    There will be small car parks at every station
Parking fees
•    Parking is free for people using the metro
•    Car park validation uses the same card as metro fares
•    Parking fees for people not using the metro: 10 Dhs per hour, 50 Dhs per day
Mall parking
•    Two malls near metro stations will have parking fees- Mall of Emirates and Deira City Centre
•    The fees are intended to deter Metro commuters from using the malls´ car parks as part of an unofficial park-and-ride system


For more information see Dubai Metro's pocket brochure.