 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2016) |
TheRoads and Transport Authority (RTA) was formed by the decree number 17 for the year 2005.
RTA is responsible for planning and providing the requirements of transport, roads & traffic in theEmirate of Dubai, and betweenDubai and other Emirates of theUAE, neighboring countries in order to provide an effective & integrated transport system.
Because of the growing population, commuters in Dubai experience a high amount oftraffic congestion. The city has become the most congested city in theMiddle East.[1]
Professionals working in Dubai spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes commuting to and from work. The government has invested heavily in the Dubai's road infrastructure, although this has not kept pace with the increase in the number of vehicles. This, coupled with theinduced traffic phenomenon, has led to growing problems of congestion.
Traffic congestion, the single biggest concern among Dubai's 1.44 million residents, inflicts losses of Dh4.6 billion or 3.15% of the emirate's Dh146 billion GDP a year. The city has a car ownership rate of 541 cars per 1,000 population. This figure exceeds that of cities likeNew York City [444 cars per 1,000 population],London [345 cars per 1,000 population] andSingapore [111 cars per 1,000 population]. If this trend continues, then by 2020, there will be 5.3 million registered cars in Dubai.[3]
A further 500 km of roads plus 120 multi-level interchanges will also be built before 2020 at a cost of around 44 billion dirhams ($12 billion) as transport chiefs in the emirate aim to improve life for motorists.[4]
Dubai also has an extensivetaxi system, the most expensive way to travel around the Emirate. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The Dubai Transport Corporations operates cream-color taxis, with different color tops representing different franchising companies operating under RTA regulations. Some of the private cab companies are Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Cititaxi and Metro Taxi. The meter generally begins asDhs.12.00 when a requesting a cab from the call center, and 5.00 Dhs. when taking a taxi on the road and is generally charged by distance at 1.5Dhs./km. The minimum fare charge depends it can be either 8.00 or 12.00 AED. There are approximately 9,497 taxis as per October 2015 located in the city.[5] These cabs are available via the three major taxi booking apps - Uber, Careem and Dubai Taxi. With Careem being the largest taxi operator.[6] (DTC).[7]
TheDubai Metro currently operates three lines. The construction contract for the project was given toDubai Rapid Link (DURL),[8] a consortium led byMitsubishi Heavy Industries, in 2005. The construction of the red line began in September 2005 and thered line started operating on 9 September 2009, with its extension opened in 2010, 2013 and 2021. There are currently 31 stations on the red line. The construction ofgreen line started in 2006 and the green line opened on 9 September 2011. There were initially 18 stations and two more stations were added in 2014. The Green Line runs from Etisalat by e& to Creek and the Red Line from Centrepoint to Expo 2020 and the Red Branch Line runs from Jabal Ali to UAE Exchange
Three new lines and extension of the two existing are planned but currently no concrete construction plan has been confirmed.
Currently, the total length of the metro system is 89.6 km, within which 13 km is built underground.
Seven monorails are also slated to be constructed to help feed the Dubai Metro, connecting various places such as Dubailand, the Palm Jumeirah and other districts the main track. The first of these, thePalm Jumeirah Monorail, opened on 30 April 2009. Four stations are in operation, while one more station is expected to be added in the future.
Dubai has a very largebus system run by theRoads and Transport Authority (RTA). The bus system has 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people weekly.[citation needed] The Public Transport bus system is large and advanced.
The (RTA) runs 1,518 buses around the whole emirate.[9] From Dubai Logistics City in the West to the Al Qusais Industrial area in East Dubai. The buses are of various sizes & models. The new fleet was expected to be fully operational by the end of 2008.[10]Under brand name Dubai Bus an extensive bus system is operated. Some bus lines are feeders for themetro system. 656 of 1500 bus stops are equipped with air-conditioned shelters. The bus fleet consists almost entirely of low floor European-made, air-conditioned buses byNeoplan,Mercedes-Benz,Volvo,Solaris,VDL andOptare. In August 2019, the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that a new night bus service (runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) will be launched, along with 11 more routes that will be enhanced in terms of timings and connections.[11]
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lines | 97 | 99 | 103 - 105 | 105 - 11 | 105 - 120 | ||
| Trips | 3,230,190 | 3,657,990 | 3,713,212 | 3,885,636 | |||
| Passengers | 110,399,157 | 107,407,948 | 107,806,085 | 115,670,587 | 135,519,872[12] | 134,752,549 | 151,069,499 |
As of April 2008, there were two expected tram systems to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first was theDubai Trolley, and the second was theDubai Tram.
The Dubai Trolley is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service that was planned to serve the area around theBurj Khalifa.[13] Announced in April 2008 byEmaar, theDh500 million system was supposed have two separate lines. The first line, which opened by the end of 2009, ran 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) from Dubai Metro's Burj Khalifa station to theDubai Mall with one stop at The Address Dubai Mall. The first line has trams running in both directions, while the second line only runs in one direction. The second phase, which opened in 2010, serves ten stations. The 4.6 km loop travels clockwise and has a total travel time of eight minutes.[14]
At the same time, theRoads and Transport Authority (Dubai) announced theDubai Tram ( previously known as Al Sufouh Tramway). This tram service runs 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) alongAl Sufouh Road fromDubai Marina to thePalm Jumeirah. It connects with two stations of Dubai Metro's Red Line. Phase 1, which was expected to open in April 2011, was finally opened in 2014; it has 11 trains with 13 stations running 10 km (6.2 mi). Once Phase 2 is complete, the tram will add 14 more trains and six stations on the additional 4 km (2.5 mi). The planning and construction of the Dubai Tram was undertaken by a consortium ofAlstom,Besix andParsons.[15][16][17][18]
The trams for the network will be 44 m (144 ft) long, have a capacity of 300 passengers and will travel at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) and an average commercial speed of 20 km/h (12 mph). Running for 20 h each day, it will take only 30 min to ride the entire length of the system The Dubai Tram usesAlstom Citadis 402s. To provide safety, comfort and aesthetics, the Dubai Tram corporates methods not found in many trams around the world. These trams useground-level power supply; in other words, the trams do not need overhead cables. This recently invented method, also referred to asAlimentation par Sol or "Aesthetic Power Supply" (APS), is currently used inBordeaux,France. In June 2010, the consortium led by France'sAlstom and the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct stopped work on the estimated $1.1bn Al-Sufouh tram project in Dubai because of irregular payments from the project client, Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).[19] The system is operational since November 2014.
ThePalm Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is operated by the UK-based Serco. The monorail connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on April 30, 2009 as the Palm Jumeirah Monorail. It is the first monorail in the Middle East.
The trains are driverless, with attendants for any emergency situations.It's currently runs from Gateway Station to Atlantis Aquaventure and stopped at the new Al Ittihad Park Station & Nakheel Mall station.
Dubai is served by two large commercial ports,Port Rashid andPort Jebel Ali. Various cruise ships dock in Dubai. Dubai Creek and Port Saeed are used by local traders indhows.
One of the more traditional means of getting across Dubai Creek betweenBur Dubai andDeira is onabras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Creek between stations in Bastakiya and Bani Yas Road, for a nominal charge of 1 UAE dirhams. They can be rented, along with an operator, for 100 UAE dirhams, approximately US$27.
The Marine Transport Agency, part of the Road and Transportation Agency, started the Dubai Water Bus System on Dubai Creek in July 2007. Years ago there used to be a seaplane service which used to take passengers to other parts of the emirates.
| This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2014) |
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Dubai International Airport is a hub forEmirates andFlyDubai and has a largeduty-free shopping center. The airport has won numerous awards for its excellence in design and services.[20] A third terminal, which fully supports theAirbus A380, the largest passenger passenger aircraft in the world,[21] was opened in October 2008 and doubled the airport's capacity. A new concourse catering to the A380 was completed in late 2012.
Al Maktoum International Airport, which opened on 27 June 2010,[22] will make a newfree trade area within Dubai and be the centerpiece of theDubai World Centralaerotropolis. The airport was announced in 2004 and construction began in January 2005. The first part was expected to be completed by 2008. Although initially intended as a predominantly cargo airport, plans are afoot for it to handle some 120 million passengers per annum within 20 years, which would likely surpassAtlanta'sHartsfield-Jackson International Airport as the world's busiest airport.[23] Since 2013 only a handful of airlines operate out of Al Maktoum International Airport in terms of passenger services.[24]
Dubai is investing heavily in developing the reach of its airline Emirates. The hope is to develop Dubai's air transportation industry to the point that passengers from any city can fly direct to Dubai. TheA380 aircraft, the largest of which has a capacity of 641 passengers, has been flying withEmirates since August 2008.
In additionEtihad Airways provides bus coaches between Dubai andAbu Dhabi International Airport for Etihad customers.[25]Air Arabia provides a similar service for its passengers toSharjah International Airport, which due to its proximity is used as an alternative airport by Dubai residents.
Dubai is expected to launcheVTOLair taxis in 2026 withJoby Aviation.[26]
TheDubai Loop is a car tunnel system project that aims to serveDowntown Dubai. It was first announced in February 2025.[27] Construction started in February 2026.[28] It is built byThe Boring Company. The system will useTesla Model Y vehicles to shuttle passengers.
The first phase of the project will cover 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi), comprising four stations (Dubai International Financial Centre, ICD Brookfield Place, Zaabeel Dubai Mall Parking, andBurj Khalifa/Dubai Mall), transporting 13,000 passengers per day and shortening the travel time between DIFC andDubai Mall from 20 to 3 minutes.[29][30] It is expected to be launched by 2027.[30] The second phase will feature 19 stations across 22.2 kilometres (13.8 mi), connectingDubai World Trade Centre toBusiness Bay. It is planned to be built within three years and handle 30,000 passengers per day.[30]
The Glydwayspersonal rapid transit is expected to be launched in 2026. It aims to handle 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, traveling at of 50 km/h. Four routes were announced:National Paints metro station toBluewaters Island,Mall of the Emirates metro station toMadinat Jumeirah,Onpassive metro station toAlserkal Avenue and Times Square Centre, and a 7-km route inDubai Festival City.[31][32]
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