Dubai Metro trains will start earlier on Fridays

Dubai Metro's trains will begin operating from 10am on Fridays, instead of the current time of 1pm. The early start comes in response to repeated requests from commuters and will be implemented from October 2. Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of RTA Rail Agency says the changes are important because “the metro links key areas in Dubai including a host of tourist, commercial and residential districts.” Meanwhile, the tram’s Marina loop trips have been suspended. The semi-circular loop service covered four stations – Jumeirah Beach Residence 1, Jumeirah Beach Residence 2, Jumeirah Lake Towers and Dubai Marina Mall. A study by the RTA found that abolishing this service would decrease the total transit time from 54 minutes to 45 minutes, and would improve the frequency of the service to 8 minutes. The number of riders using the service was only 6% of total commuters on the network. The Dubai Tram timetable has also been revised, with the service now terminating at 1am, instead of 1.30 am.