Dubai: With the introduction of short trips to and from the busiest stations on the Red Line, congestion in Dubai Metro is likely to ease considerably from today.
Apart from short trips, covering small segments on the Red Line, additional regular trips will operate on both the Red and Green lines throughout the week, reported Gulf News.
The upgrade in operations comes following complaints of congestion on the busy network, with commuters having to skip trains for lack of space, particularly during peak hours on the Red Line.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that 276 more trips, including short trips, will be added to the network.
The upgrade will mean 154 additional trips run on the Red Line and 122 on the Green Line throughout the week, said the news portal.
According to data supplied by RTA earlier this year, more than 31,000 people use the metro per hour early in the morning while the evening congestion is reflected by the ridership figure of 53,000 per hour.
The morning rush hours are from 7 to 9am and the evening peak hours are from 4.30 to 8pm, the GN report said.
The RTA currently operates 71 trains during peak hours — 54 on the Red Line and 17 on the Green Line. During peak hours, the trains run at a frequency of 2 minutes 38 seconds on the Red Line and every five minutes on the Green Line.
Off peak, the trains run at a headway of six to eight minutes on the Red Line and seven to eight minutes on the Green Line.
However, an RTA spokesperson clarified that more trips won’t mean more trains. “The changes will be affected through a change in operational arrangement,” Abdul Mohsin Ebrahim Younus, CEO of RTA’s Licensing Agency, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
