Watch our journey as we try out the new Dubai Metro Route 2020 extension

I never make New Year’s resolutions, but for 2021 I pledged to rein in the spending and get more savvy when it comes to saving.

Step one of that mission was to use public transport more. It’s cheap, kind of convenient and a great place to people-watch.

On Monday, after a six-year hiatus, I jumped on Dubai Metro for the first time to test out the new track along Route 2020.

Within only 10 minutes, I managed to scale four different neighbourhoods. I spent only Dh4 and didn't honk my car horn in a rage amid the rush-hour traffic. Dubai Metro, I could get used to you!

The new 15-kilometre stretch of track opened to passengers at 10am on January 1, hours after the city's night sky lit up in a gamut of colour from the New Year's Eve fireworks.

Route 2020 now includes four stations: Jebel Ali, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens and Al Furjan – though the final three will open later this year.

I started my journey at Al Furjan and headed west towards Jebel Ali, passing through Discovery Gardens and The Gardens.

As expected, with a new metro opening, the stations were clean and sparkling with lots of helpful workers on hand to direct a lost looking passenger like me in the right direction.

The lack of crowds made getting about a lot easier and I had my pick of the seats on the quiet carriages.

In terms of views on route, don't expect a feast for the eyes.

I was mainly staring at residential blocks either side of the track, and while not the prettiest of sites, there is no doubt these new stations are conveniently located within a short walk of shops, villas and apartments.

Nearby residents told me they were elated with the new network link. Previously, they had relied only on buses and taxis to commute to the nearest metro station.

At a cost of about Dh11 billion ($3bn), the extension to the Red Line is set to be a boon for the area and will eventually connect thousands of passengers to and from the Expo 2020 site.

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Stage results

1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05

2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08

3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time

4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t

5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t

7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t

8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t

9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t

10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t

Profile of Tarabut Gateway

Founder: Abdulla Almoayed

Based: UAE

Founded: 2017

Number of employees: 35

Sector: FinTech

Raised: $13 million

Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.

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INFO

Visit www.wtatennis.com for more information

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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England squad

Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers