Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Monday announced a new direct route on the Dubai Metro Red Line.
It will connect Centrepoint Station with Al Fardan Exchange Station, complementing the two existing direct routes – Centrepoint to Expo City and Centrepoint to Life Pharmacy Station.
It is hoped the new route will help ease crowding on the Red Line during peak hours by giving commuters another option.
Building infrastructure in a growing city
The announcement of the new route comes days after Dubai’s population officially passed four million.
Dubai Metro opened with the Red Line in 2009, expanded to include the Green Line in 2011 and has since continued to grow. It will take another major step forward in 2029 when the Blue Line is opened.
Upgrades to bus services are also being made by the RTA and road improvements have been aimed at cutting congestion.
More than 395 million journeys were made on Dubai's expanding public transport network in the first half of 2025, a 9 per cent increase on the same period last year.
The Dubai Metro has maintained its position as the most popular mode of public transport for passengers in the emirate.
The RTA said 143.9 million trips were made via Dubai Metro from January to the end of June, representing 36.5 per cent of all trips completed on public transport.
What is the Dubai Metro Blue Line?
The Dh20.5 billion ($5.58 billion) project will include 14 new stations, connect with the existing Green and Red lines, and serve expanding neighbourhoods such as Mirdif, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai International City.
It will add 30km to the Metro network, 15.5km of which will be underground. When complete, the network will be 131km long with 78 stations served by 168 trains.
The public transport drive is central to the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which has easier commuting among its priorities.
The RTA said the Blue Line would connect five principal urban regions – Bur Dubai/Deira, Downtown/Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Marina/JBR and Expo City Dubai.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Honeymoonish
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