Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has set out the emirate's ambitions for every Dubai Metro train to arrive on time as the landmark public transport network prepares to mark its 15th anniversary.
Sheikh Mohammed said the efficiency of the high-speed rail service – which he launched on September 9, 2009 – epitomised Dubai's culture of demanding “quality and punctuality” and its goals to provide the best living and working environment for all.
Sheikh Mohammed said Dubai Metro had transported 2.4 billion passengers since its first trains hit the tracks 15 years ago, with an impressive punctuality rate of 99.7 per cent.
“We want it to be 100 per cent,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X on Sunday. “Commitment to appointments is a culture, a virtue, and a noble cultural value.
“[The] Dubai Metro project represents Dubai’s culture, which is based on quality, punctuality, and creating the best environment for living and working in the world.
“Our thanks and appreciation to all Dubai Metro workers for their efforts in preserving this cultural value.”
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, said the continued growth of Dubai Metro was testament to Sheikh Mohammed's vision and underlined the emirate's ability to develop "mega projects".
"The first project of its kind in the region, Dubai Metro has set global records," Sheikh Hamdan wrote on X. on Sunday.
"Starting with 20,000 passengers a day, the metro's ridership has steadily grown to now serve more than 730,000 passengers daily. Dubai Metro reflects the emirate’s ethos of quality, decisive leadership and ability to rapidly execute mega projects."
On the right track
The Dubai Metro remains pivotal to the emirate's efforts to promote public transport and encourage people to leave their cars at home, helping to alleviate congestion and boost the environment.
More than 700 million journeys were made on public transport in Dubai last year – encompassing the metro, tram, public buses, marine transport, taxis and shared mobility such as e-hail, smart car rentals and bus-on-demand services.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said 260 million journeys were made on Dubai Metro's Red and Green Lines in 2023, a 15 per cent increase on the previous year.
In June, Dubai unveiled plans to more than double its number of Metro and tram stations by 2040 under a major public transport development drive.
Dubai currently has 55 Metro stations – 35 on the red line and 20 on the green line – as well as 11 tram stops, according to the website of the RTA, which operates the emirate's rail network.
This number is to be increased to 96 stations spanning 140km by 2030, the Dubai Media Office said.
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
