Dubai Metro guide: the two lines, the fares and the hours

The two lines and the stations that matter

The Red Line runs the length of the city along the main highway, from the airport terminals through Deira, past Downtown at Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall, through Business Bay and out to the Marina and Jebel Ali. Almost every visitor journey uses it.

The Green Line covers the older districts: Al Ras for the Gold Souk, Sharaf DG (formerly Al Fahidi) for the historic quarter, and the creek on both sides. The two lines interchange at Union and BurJuman, which are the only transfers most itineraries need.

Fares, zones and the Nol card

Fares depend on how many zones you cross, starting at a few dirhams for a single zone. A Nol card is mandatory: the red paper ticket suits a couple of journeys, and the rechargeable blue or silver card suits anything more. Gold class costs double and buys a quieter carriage at the front.

Tap in and tap out, the fare is calculated on exit, so failing to tap out is charged at the maximum. It is the single most common visitor mistake.

Hours, crowding and the walk at the other end

Trains run from early morning until around midnight, later at weekends, with a later start on Friday. Peak crowding is the commuter rush in both directions, and the carriages fill noticeably between Deira and Business Bay.

Allow for the walk at the destination. Several stations connect to their landmark by a long covered footbridge, Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall is about ten minutes of walking from platform to mall entrance, which is a detail that ruins timed tickets if you have not planned for it.

Etiquette, carriages and the rules that are enforced

The metro has rules that are actually enforced, with fines rather than warnings. Eating and drinking on trains and platforms is prohibited: including water, which surprises visitors in summer. Chewing gum counts. So does sitting on the floor.

Every train has a designated carriage for women and children, marked in pink on the platform edge, and men using it are fined. Gold class sits at the front, costs double and is a separate carriage instead of a separate service.

Priority seating for older passengers and people with disabilities is marked and respected. Trains are quiet by international standards, and the platform screen doors mean there is no reason to crowd the edge.

Timetables, fares and the Nol card

Metro and tram hours, the fare zones and the Nol card are all administered by the Roads and Transport Authority, which publishes the current timetable and the fare table. Hours change during Ramadan and on public holidays, so the posted schedule is worth a look on the day instead of a figure quoted here.

Where the metro stops being enough

The network covers a corridor, not a city. It runs the length of the Sheikh Zayed Road spine and out to the airport, which happens to include most of what a visitor wants, and it does not reach the coast between the creek and the Marina, the desert side, or several of the large outlying attractions.

The practical gaps are worth naming: Jumeirah and the beaches along it, the Palm beyond the tram interchange, the arts district at Al Quoz, and the seasonal attractions out in Dubailand. All of those are taxi destinations, and no amount of planning changes that.

Public buses fill some of the gap and are cheap, air-conditioned and paid for with the same card, but the routes take local knowledge and the stops are exposed. For a short visit, the honest advice is to use the metro where it goes and take taxis where it does not, and to choose a hotel near a station so that the taxi legs are the exception, not the routine.

Choose the hotel near a station and the rest of the transport question largely answers itself.