Dubai Launches New Luxury Metro, Seeks Riders

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Sep 14th 2009 at 11:01PM

There's no denying that Dubai's new public transportation system is sleek. It is the longest automated metro system in the world and offers luxury compartments with Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The question is, will anyone be riding on it? The Dubai Metro recently went into service but in a place where gas is cheap and privacy is at a premium it's not clear exactly who will be the passengers. Some have speculated that Dubai's car-centric culture may find switching over to this type of transportation a bit difficult but it is expected to help ease Dubai's legendary traffic snarls.

The Metro was to provide easy transport for expatriates and tourists but with the economic future of the country in turmoil and a mass exodus that includes dusty luxury cars being left in airport parking lots, the Metro could be yet another Dubai big idea which is looking increasingly foolhardy. But let's not write the world's largest driverless train off quite yet. BBC News surveyed a couple of young people who live and work in Dubai who seem excited to ride the train and work it into their normal schedule.

Tags: dubai, metro, public transporation, PublicTransporation

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Max Irwin Sep 15th 2009 7:41AM

Personally I think advanced infrastucture like this is always a great idea, it reduces traffic and is much more efficient.

On the other hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC56hnyiP_s

Henry Tuttle Sep 16th 2009 2:20AM

I live in Dubai. Riding the metro won't be about saving money or gas, but time. The traffic can get bad here.

Also, there are tons of lower income workers here who will definitely benefit from being able to use this. Even here, people question the value of the metro, but I think between the rich using it to save time, and the poor using it to save money, it will be successful.

Dorron M Sep 15th 2009 6:44PM

Personally I ALSO think advanced infrastructure like this is always a great idea, it reduces traffic and is much more efficient.

On the other hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEz9DJ9br48