Dubai’s Green Line on track for launch

Dubai Metro’s Green Line has been completed and is on track to open to the public on Friday, the chairman of Dubai’s transport authority confirmed Sunday.   Dubai Metro’s second line, which will add a further 18 stations and 23km to the existing rail network, has undergone technical trial runs in preparation for its launch, said Matter Al Tayer. Dubai’s ruler HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will launch the line Sept 9, allowing commuters to switch between the Metro’s Green and Red Line at Union and Khalid bin Al Waleed stations.Fourteen trains will operate along the new line during peak hours, reducing to ten trains during off peak hours, the RTA said Sunday. The frequency will range from 6 to 8 minutes, it added. All of the Green Line stations will open to the public except Al Jadaf and Creek Stations, as the real estate developments they were intended to serve have yet to be completed.   The CEO of the Dubai Metro operator, Serco Middle East, said in July the Green Line would not see any of the teething problems that accompanied the launch of the Red Line. “We learnt a lot from the first opening and we have taken those lessons into account in project planning for the Green Line,” Zafar Raja said. “We anticipate it will be much easier as a vast amount of the public will have used the Red Line, so we expect [the issues] to be negligible.”Raja said the total passenger count for both lines is forecast to increase from about 190,000 daily to at least 250,000 once the Green Line is fully operational. The Green Line’s starting point is Etisalat station, at Al Qusais near Emirates Road, before moving to stops Al Qusais, Airport Free Zone, Al Nahda, Al Qiyadah station on Al Ittihad road, Abhu Hail, Abu Baker Al Siddique, Salah Uddin and then Union station, where both metro lines intersect. The Green Line then moves through Baniyas Square, Palm Deira, Al Ras, Al Ghubaiba. Al Fahidi, Khalid bin Al Waleed and to Dubai Healthcare City. From / Arabian Business News