Dubai Metro and tram times to change

The National -- If you're an early morning public transport user, you're in luck: the Dubai Metro and tram will now start their daily service earlier.

The Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) Rail Agency has announced tram and metro changes to take effect on November 1, which will coincide with Public Transport Day.

The metro's Red Line will now start at 5.00am instead of 5.30am, while the Green Line will be in operation from 5.30am instead of 5.50am. The Dubai Tram will start at 6am instead of 6.30am.

The Express Metro service has also been improved with trains now being deployed in six stations - Rashidiya, Rigga, Emirates Towers, First Gulf Bank, Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the UAE Money Exchange. The service will start from 5am from the aforementioned stations, alongside the normal Red Line service.

"The selected stations are the most used metro stations by passengers to get to their workplaces early. This would ease congestion at the first metro service at all stations,” said Mohammed Al Mudharreb, director of rail operations at RTA’s Rail Agency.

In announcing the changes, Mr Al Mudharreb said the step was intended to upgrade services, help people reach their destinations faster, and attract more customers to use public transport.

The metro's red line would now be operational from 5am to midnight Saturday to Wednesday, 5am to 1pm on Thursday, and 10am to 1am on Friday.

The Green Line will operate between 5.30am to midnight Saturday to Wednesday, 5.30am to 1am on Thursday, and 10am to 1am on Friday.

The Dubai Tram will operate from 6am to 1am Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 1am on Friday.