Safe & Secure

(Dubai) It's 9:30 pm. The side street I'm on, a little off of a main road, has a line of street lights but it is still rather dark. I sit alone in a brightly lit bus shelter in an area where there are a few office blocks and some activity in a nearby parking lot. I am usually the only passenger in the bus shelter this time of night and I sit waiting with my white Macintosh laptop open, as I try to read or type while watching out for the bus.

Financial Center metro station at night.

(Seattle, USA) I'm a tourist there, unfamiliar with just about everything. It's 5:30 pm, the sun has just set, but it's still light out. I stand nervously at the downtown bus stop. It's on a major road but a bit on the edge of the CBD (central business district). Why does the whole area seem so eerily deserted still early in the evening? I'm empty handed, carrying nothing thankfully, but I just wish the bus would hurry up and come. There are a few dodgy looking characters making their way toward me. Someone's high I can tell. Let me somehow just be inconspicuous.

I don't think it would be exaggerating to say that I would never, ever sit at a lonely bus stop in any American city blithely pecking at keys on my laptop. If I dared even to carry a laptop I would do my best to disguise it and appear as nonchalant and local as I possibly could.

A typical interior in many of Dubai's new, uncrowded buses. >>

In Dubai I feel 100% safe and at ease in such a setting, but in most American cities under similar circumstances I would feel absolutely at risk and vulnerable. It is the combination of dusk or nightfall and the absence of pedestrian traffic, save any miscreants, that can turn an otherwise normal functioning city street into a lawless no-man's land.

Americans and the local residents know this. They know that it matters what the time of day is, what the pedestrian traffic is like and what other conditions are there that might make a street unsafe.

Is it a justified rationale that they have or is it paranoia? Nothing happened to me at that Seattle bus stop as daylight faded. Nothing happened to me when I walked the dark streets of a New Orleans, still Katrina ravaged street, looking for a bus stop one night. But something could have or just might have happened--in a wrong place/wrong time kind of way.

I developed the perception growing up in America that the most unsafe thing one could do when in such a setting was to look like you didn't know where you were. To seem at ease and to somewhat blend in was the first rule. The second was to get out of that place as quickly as possible--without haste, that is, lest you violate the first rule.

I think this is the rule of thumb for most Americans. Whether it really is the answer to being safe or whether it is largely a matter of luck, I'm not quite sure. Whatever the case, I feel no need to be on my guard when on the streets of Dubai, whether by day or night.

Keeping it Real... Safe

<< A military style young Emirati security man.

Security inside the Dubai metro is tight. There are two classes of uniformed men (I haven't seen any female security staff)--one in the popular Group 4 style and the other in military style garb. The former tend to include various expat staff and the latter young locals. There is also a contingent of station attendants wearing blazers or jackets of one kind or other.

It would seem the task of the attendants is to assist passengers and inspect their boarding cards, while the Group 4 style security men are there to enforce rules. The military style men don't normally interact with the passengers, so it would seem their role is to guard against terrorism and control the peace should the need arise. They do not, however, appear to carry any weapons except for batons.

I did attempt to engage one of the young officers in conversation. I was able to confirm that he was local, from Sharjah. He appeared to be very young, probably not yet 20, and he could not speak any English. Although I hadn't spoken with any of the other officers on duty, I would speculate that his profile was typical. They all seem to be local and as young as he was, and judging from their glances askance whenever I pass near any of them, I suspect most don't speak English.

Are the uniformed men, without weaponry really enough to guard against terrorism? One must appreciate that here there is no gun culture, except perhaps as part of some traditional dances. Security guards are always unarmed and I don't ever recall seeing a police officer carrying a pistol, although I may just never have noticed.

A Group Four style civilian security man. >>

That said, I have heard that there is a new stipulation in Dubai that security guards must receive some kind of weapons training. Up till now the common practice seems to have been to simply put a uniform on a new man fresh off the boat and thus you get a qualified security man.

That begs the question once again. Are these security men enough to guard against terrorism? Well, they are at least eyes on the ground, and there are a lot of them roaming around the stations and on the trains themselves. There are also the much heralded CCTV cameras. That should be enough to spot the unattended bag or strangely behaving commuter. If they can keep an eye out for things suspicious as well as they manage to keep people from eating, drinking and entering the wrong cabins, then we shouldn't have too many security concerns.

All Alone

My commute to work today is a little earlier than usual, just turning noon. It finds me in the gold class all alone except for the company of a train attendant. This time must be the sweet spot where hardly anyone rides. Alas I am joined by a couple of other riders. Oh no, they've just been escorted to a silver class cabin.

Iconic Views

Still u/c metro Green line passing below the Burj Dubai downtown skyline.

On days that I decide not to take the metro into the city, I get my first clear views of the city skyline as I descend from Business Bay Bridge. It is a spectacular skyline, even on less than clear days, with the Burj Dubai, at 165 floors, pointing up to the sky like a beacon.

I am reminded of childhood days, some 40 years ago, when I would anxiously await the first views of the Louisiana State capitol building, scraping the sky at a clean 34 floors, then the tallest building in Louisiana--the place I called home. Occasionally my family made trips to the capital city, Baton Rouge, from my little hometown an hour's drive away.

<< Approach to what could be called Sheikh Zayed Rd's central business district.

Driving 4 hours instead in the opposite direction and into Houston, Texas, I would get an even bigger thrill from spying views of that city's dramatic skyline. Unbeknown to me at the time was that this was a just a hint of what Dubai would eventually come to offer.

Commute

My commute to work this afternoon has me in my regular gold class seat. By boarding at the starting station I can have my choice of seating. The cabin almost fills up as we make our way through a few stations. It is a mixed crowd of Emiratis , some Westerners and other foreign expats. Some of them look like tourists, others joyriders and just a few commuters. Of course there aren't many people still commuting to work at noon.

<< The iconic Burj Dubai tower rises to a needlepoint pinnacle.

Once I disembark from the metro it is about a 7 minute walk to my bus stop 500 meters away. That is the primary extent of my walking. One of the benefits of public transport is that one has to walk quite a bit, which is great for getting exercise. Unfortunately not much walking is required as part of my car, train, and bus commute. Of course, it isn't so much fun trekking under a scorching sun, but the weather will start to cool in a month or so.

When I lived in Japan my daily commute was either by bicycle or by train with a lot of walking, and climbing up and down hundreds of steps to get to and from train platforms. I suppose this is one reason why the Japanese population are so healthy despite their relative wealth. With escalators, moving walkways and air-conditioned bus shelters, the RTA seems to be doing everything it can to entice Dubai residents out of their cars. While this means we'll sweat less, we also won't be able to shed so many extra poinds.

The National had a photo and story on one commuter, predictably a Westerner, who carries his fold-up bicycle onto the train and cycles the rest of his journey on either end. That could well be me if I lived within cycling distance of a station and had a cycle light enough to carry around.

Dubai's new futuristic-looking headquarters for telecom Etisalat. >>

Apart from the fact that the UAE is not a country of cyclists, which results in more road hazards for those who do it, cycling or a combination of cycle and public transport has the positive effect of being healthy, time-efficient, economic and sometimes fun. There is, however, the over-confidence that regular cyclists sometimes develop in thinking they are invulnerable when, in fact, the safety issue is always there.




Construction on towers continues along Sheikh Zayed Road. ↓

Tidbits 2

Dusk colors the Jafaliya station and Sheikh Zayed Rd. skyline.

Card Abuse & Other Minor Infractions

I saw and experienced it for the first time a few days ago--the use of a handheld device used to inspect nol cards, which one is asked to display upon entering the gold class cabin. The Gulf Arab gentlemen seated in front of me politely protested being treated suspiciously, but I suggested to him that it was a useful procedure as people are known to have abused the system.

That said, in the span of a few minutes our cards were inspected by two different cabin crew attendants. For the most part, however, the procedure appears to be to inspect cards as riders enter at the various stations, rather than waiting until they have already taken their seats.

Another monitoring incident... A young man waiting to board was getting a chiding from one of the security guards. When I asked him what had happened he said it was because he was having a drink. He didn't know that drinking was not allowed on the platform--neither did I. So the restriction does not apply only on the trains but on the platforms as well, and I would now presume you'll be warned if you have an open drink or food anywhere once passing through the wickets.

That does not bode well for the concessions at stations. These include Star Bucks, a fruit juice outlet and Chow King (an oriental fast food shop)--those are the ones I've seen so far at the stations I regularly pass through. The Chow King is located at a street side entrance/exit of the Financial Centre station, so one might well pick up a takeout order on leaving the station. The other outets, however, just outside the entrance wickets, seem not to make much sense. They don't have seating, so one would basically have to walk with one's purchase while exiting the station or else gulp it down before heading toward the boarding platform.

I can't say I remember ever seeing a commuter train where passengers could eat on board the trains themselves, but it was certainly allowed on platforms and elsewhere within the stations. In Japan, where I lived for many years, stations had quick order shops with seating or stand-up bars, and the favorite of many passengers was to have a quick bowl of hot tasty ramen (noodle soup) either before or just after their train ride. It was really one of the unique appeals of the stations. I think I would skip dinner at home every evening if I could get a bowl of hot ramen at the end of my evening commute.

The emphasis in Dubai's new stations is clearly on cleanliness and I wouldn't fault anyone for that. I really appreciate the shiny newness of everything. No doubt, if eating were allowed you would get paper trash and sticky or grimy surfaces here and there. But the least they could do is have stools or small seating areas at the concessions outside of the wicket gates. A 16 dhs cup of coffee from Star Bucks just doesn't make sense if you can't at least sit down and leisurely sip it.

Alternative Transport

A recent Gulf News article reports the following:

Approximately 21 per cent of all road fatalities in the first three months of this year have been caused by accidents involving minibuses...

It continues with a police recommendation that mini-buses no longer be permitted to transport passengers. Is that a ploy to get more riders onto the metro? Maybe, but it seems to be a genuinely good move in terms of safety.

There isn't anything inherently more dangerous with minibuses than with other vehicles--apart from comparisons based on size. Of course, a sub-compact car is more vulnerable than a giant bus. The point is that most accidents result from the actions of drivers rather than the type of vehicle.

In this view, the suggestion that mini-buses be no longer permitted to ferry passengers is perhaps more an indictment on the people who drive these vehicles. Such drivers are often poorly trained and seem to have no particular appreciation of the value of their cargo, as it were. The comfort and safety of human passengers ought to command a bit more respect than the transport of goods.

So, here perhaps we take care of two birds with one stone, by getting the recklessly driven mini-buses off the roads and ushering more commuters onto the metro.

Nol Woes Continued...

This time the angst is not mine but that of others I know. The balance of credit on their cards seem invariably to shrink unexplained. The quick assumption is I've been cheated or that the card or card readers are malfunctioning. As I have learned, however, the real culprit is normally incorrect use of the card or misunderstanding the info given by the card readers.

I don't fault the riders, however, for this confusion. There is a learning curve involved and the RTA has not adequately addressed this. For most people it is going to be trial by fire--the fire being that which seems to burn their cash away. The best rule of thumb is to just be cool and calm about it and assume there is a rational explanation behind every error. At the same time, one can get a print out of his/her card usage history (available at the ticket machines and info counters in metro stations, and perhaps elsewhere).

Taxis

I have to add these to my compendium of transport options. It used to be that in Abu Dhabi, where I lived for 9 years, taxiing was the only practical transport option for those who did not own cars--and part of the reason why that city is plagued today with even worse vehicle traffic and parking woes than Dubai.

A public bus transport system was only introduced in Abu Dhabi in 2008. To be fair there was a precursor of sorts, a fleet of big buses that traveled inner and inter-city routes. But the buses, their routes and boarding spots were largely unmarked. Usage remained confined to the extremely humble of means--i.e. the unemployed few, it would seem--who had no option but to work out the mysterious system. Even laborers on meagre salaries found no use for them and instead relied on an informal system of taxi sharing.

Back to Dubai, taxis have always been part of a mix that included buses as well as informal car shares, but the price, several times that in Abu Dhabi, had made them a sort of last resort option. (I've seen some commentators speak of Dubai's reasonable taxi fares, but I have to wonder from which planet they hail--OK, maybe Tokyo or New York, but why compare Dubai with the most expensive of cities?) With the metro partially opened and lots of new buses, commuters in Dubai finally have real options, but will still need to rely on taxis from time to time.

Metro Info via The National

There are a number of websites around which attempt to fill the sometimes dearth of information about the metro, its facilities, services, etc. I have just come across Abu Dhabi's English daily The National's contribution which seems quite promising.

This seems to be a space worth watching.

My City, My Metro

So goes the ad campaign. It resonates with me. Dubai is my adopted city, and the metro is a great new way to experience it. << The start of my morning commute, past UAE telecom Etisalat's Dubai HQ.

I have just found next to the luggage compartment in the gold cabin a sign indicating baggage size, as follows: maximum luggage size w81 X h58 X d30. This should answer the question of those wondering how much baggage they can carry on the train when transiting to and from the airport.

Best Practices?

My one friend so far at the metro is one of the security men at Rashidiya station. Perhaps it is better to leave him unnamed. I asked him this morning if work was busy, he answered always busy.

What about your day off? I asked. No day off, he answered. Why not, I wondered; his badge read Serco, the company which manages and provides services for the metro. He is a contracted hire, however, with a company called Frist Security or something like that.

It is very typical in the UAE, and probably in a lot of other countries that a large reputable firm wins a big service contract, partially on the basis of their good practices. But then a lot of the work gets contracted out to third companies with dodgy practices.

One of Dubai's central districts, home to Emirates Towers and the DIFC.

The presumed reputable firm does not take the responsibility of insuring that its contracted agents are carrying out proper procedures, nor does the party who awards the original contract. That said, the first and second party will speak of their own best practices while turning a blind eye to what happens further down the line.

So, a security guard works 7 days a week, probably on a 12-hour shift, which is not only bad for that individual but detrimental to the service he was hired to carry out--in this case security.

Bus Shelters

As I've probably pointed out before, taking the bus is an essential part of the metro commute. In large part Dubai's buses are big, shiny-new, comfortable and to my experience thus far--largely empty. So, one can enjoy a comfortable ride, and for me it is good enough to work at my laptop at the same time.

U/C towers at Dubai Marina.	View of Dubai Marina & JLT from Nakheel Harbour & Tower station footbridge.

A lot was made of the city's air-conditioned bus shelters when they were introduced a year or so ago. It would seem that at least half the stops have these, so one needn't wait in the hot sun while waiting for a bus. One problem, however, is that using the shelters could result in missing your bus.

Some are positioned well away from the actual stopping place of the bus and it is often hard to get a clear view of the approaching buses. Drivers aren't likely to stop unless they see someone standing at the stop, so it is often tricky to enjoy the comfort of the a/c shelters while at the same time managing to catch your bus.

Still Under-Construction Stations

There are 19 of these, and regrettably they are no longer making haste at getting them finished, as with the first 10 in the lead up to commencement day. February 2010 was the newly announced completion date for the remaining stations but I think this also may have been pushed back. Fortunately, 09-09-09 was chosen for the original opening date. It was an arbitrary deadline, but one that could not be easily brushed aside.

Emirates Golf Course & the Greens development.	Dubai Marina Mall

Gold Class Privilege

As I type I find the attendants attempting to issue a fine to a passenger for traveling in the gold cabin without the proper ticket. It appears the accosted passenger is feigning ignorance as she is escorted off the train. Looks like she escapes the fine, but not without her pride bruised, I'm sure.

So, they are trying to enforce the rules, but I'm sure it isn't easy for the normally ready to please cabin attendants to play the role of cop.

At the same time as the one woman was being chided a few others seated nearby announced this cabin is in the wrong direction as they made their getaway.

They did have a point, however. The gold cabin sits at the front of the train from Rashidiya to Nakheel Harbour & Towers, but at the back of the train in the reverse direction. Most of the seats in the cabin are likewise facing the reverse direction on the train when traveling in that direction.

Cabin attendants guarding the entrance to the gold class section. >>

I think I have become now a frequent gold class rider because I am a sucker for routine. Oh, and the seats, empty space and other comforts are nice too. In business class on a flight you pay at least three times the normal fare. We pay only double for gold. When I have travelled as a rich foreigner in Vietnam I was forced to pay 3 times the normal fare while utilizing the same transport as a local.

In Sri Lanka they have a wonderful modus operandi where foreign visitors to historical sites pay 20-30 times the local rate. So, double fare in gold class is a real bargain.

I shall be ending my metro commute shortly, having made use of the time on the morning and evening ride to compose this post. After nearly 3 weeks of metro use I would say that it is a rather different experience from that of metro use in other parts of the world.

The end of my evening commute, once again past the the SZR financial hub.

The newness, stylishness and comfort (of the gold class cabin especially) is nothing like one would experience elsewhere. We've got the cabin crew in their gold, black and white uniforms that resemble flight crew. There also hasn't emerged yet any preponderance of bad behaviour. No pushing or rudeness among riders, no rowdy youths or sloppy inebriates. It is all a very civil experience thusfar with a multi-national cast of characters.

Tidbits

The Metro Red line running through new Dubai

No metro ride for me today as I had to stay home from work, having picked up something. Some people are warning, don't ride the metro for fear of swine flu. It is highly unlikely I've got the sniffles from either the metro or the bus. Both are normally not crowded--especially in the gold class. One can sit comfortably with good ventilation.

It is much more likely that I picked up whatever I've got in the office or the apartment block I live in. This morning my building's management staff greeted me with advice to drink tea with lemon, which they said they were all doing.

Wifi No Go, p2
(Yesterday's metro news...)

<< The venerable Dubai World Trade Center (at center), the city's first skyscraper built in 1979.

The Gulf News featured an article on the introduction of Du wireless to the metro. Is this news? I don't get it. The rather hapless wireless service has been available since day one. I was hopeful that the day's news was going to be an announcement of a change in terms which might improve the service, but it simply reported the old news in banner headline form as if to herald something new.

It looks fine in print... wireless internet service at various fee structures. But you don't appreciate what any of that really means unless you actually try to use the service and discover that in reality it is expensive and does not really work.

Login takes a long time, the signal cuts out at times, page loading at times is extremely poor--3, 4, 5 minutes for Gmail to load, if at all--and nearly non-existent upload capability.

Extendable trays in the gold class cabin are more designed for laptops than coffee cups. >>

I have used my laptop nearly every day since opening day on 10 Sept--12 to 15 days now--and the service has been consistently poor. I don't get why they are even charging for this, or at least why they don't enable it to perform well with any consistency.

There are two freebees--the Du website itself (yawn), where you can find out all about their services, and the RTA site. At least the RTA site provides practical and relevant information. You could plan out the remainder of your journey in minute detail and explore bus routes and schedules.

You could also try out a variety of games and metro simulations provided on the virtual RTA site--actually I will need to confirm whether this one is also free to access without a Du login.

Other RTA Business

<< Looking through the metro glass at a receding Jafiliya station. Not directly related to the metro but another facet of the RTA are the driver's license regulations. I am in the process of exchanging a driver's license from Abu Dhabi with a Dubai license. As this is not very commonly done, there is no specific info on any RTA sites detailing the process. It isn't necessary for most people to do this, anyway, as a license from any emirate can be used in any other. In my case, however, I need to replace a damaged license and might as well do so with one for my current residency. Besides, having a Dubai license seems cooler than having an Abu Dhabi one! The requirements I have found, thusfar, are straightforward.

Gold class cabin convenience and comfort. >> Several things are required: original passport photo copy of passport bio and visa pages an eye test certificate (obtained at an RTA approved commercial eyeglasses dealer an NOC (no-objection letter) from ones employer the original license a fee of 110 dhs Not so straightforward, however, is upon presenting all of these to one of the several RTA license centers, I was thereupon informed that I also needed a letter from the Abu Dhabi license office. There you go, the stereotypical bureaucratic red-tape. That is where the process currently hangs. At least the RTA office provided in Arabic a letter which they also placed in a sealed envelope with whatever details or instructions I presume the Abu Dhabi office will be in need of. Thereby, hopefully, avoiding my going to the AD office only to be told that I need something else from the Dubai office. To be continued...

A shaky low-light condition digital snapshot creates an artistic impression of the view through the driverless train window.

Creatures of Habit

How many of us continue with the same routine, even when it may not be advantageous to do so? I recently moved to Ajman, in order to shorten my daily commute to work in Dubai. Yes--shorten. It used to be a 300 km round-trip drive from Abu Dhabi. Now thanks to being conveniently located in Ajman and with a little help from the metro, my driving distance is only 55 km return. It's a big improvement in mileage, with my car suffering badly from overuse after a year and half of the AD-Dubai daily run. What I haven't reduced, however, is the time it takes. Thanks to Sharjah traffic and the metro-bus routine without benefit of any nearby stations, it still takes 4 hrs of my day to get to and from work. When I was new to Ajman I found it an interesting challenge each day to find the shortest (first priority) and fastest route to Dubai. Each day I made my way through different Sharjah routes. Having found the shortest route, I never wanted to deviate from it, even though there were days when traffic made the trip especially long.

I had been hearing that the trip could be be faster on Emirates Rd., but there was one day when it took me 2.5 hours to navigate that road and finally make it into work in Dubai. After that I would be more than happy to never see Emirates Rd. again, I thought. Even during the night when Emirates Rd. was sure to provide a faster alternative, I wouldn't take it. I had become a creature of habit, not willing to give up my familiar route. So, it has happened for me with the metro as well. It has become a hard to break commitment to park my car at Rashidiya station and hop onto the metro. Nevermind that it takes more time than if I took my car to my destination within the city. Nevermind that the traffic isn't bad at all on some of the expressways in Dubai and it is definitely clear at certain times of day. Nevermind even that I find I'm running late for work. I've become hardwired to leave my car at Rashidiya station.

Al Kazim twin towers in Media City--new Dubai.

I don't suppose I am the only creature of habit like this. It is likely that most of us are. As to why I am such a metro enthusiast, I suppose there are two reasons. One is that I'm a big fan of how Dubai modernizes as a futuristic city, and the metro is one manifestation of that. The other is that I have some nostalgia for train commutes after having lived in Japan for 11 years. Riding trains everyday to go everywhere is the only way to travel for most people there.

Latest on wifi... The RTA's site, with all of its links can be browsed without logging in to the Du hotspot on the metro. So, while you're stuck not able to get a successful login, even after biting the bullet and deciding to go for one of the very limited wifi packages, you can fully explore the RTA's own website.


Byline Plus 50--a little aside:

---

Take the anger from a broken heart, feel no pain.

Just picked up this line in an old, otherwise familiar Phil Collins song. Rings true. Perhaps it's the anger that really hurts, not the sadness.

Have you ever heard that free will's an illusion? An intriguing thought I sometimes ponder.

Bruce Dauphin, 50 words

Quasi-Holiday

Financial Center station: one of the planned 3000 security personnel pegged to guard Dubai's metro system.

Successful Du payment and login this time... finally (27-Sep, evening). Then, a very long 7 minutes before I could log in and get my target page to load (28-Sep, morning)--see also wifi no goes....

Evening train on Saturday, a quasi-holiday. Not crowded at all in the station nor on the trains. Friday is much more the busier day. I'm in the gold class which has some Emirati shebab (young guys), a couple of families with a lot of children and a mix of other nationalities. It sort of seems there are too many kids running around in this cabin. I think the 5 and under free shouldn't qualify for this cabin.

<< Burj Bubai?

I tried the feeder bus today from Financial Center station to Dubai Mall. The bus comes quickly--good frequency--but the route to the mall is rather circuitous and the drop off point is not at any mall entrance. One has to first guess which way it is to an entrance and then start hiking. My guess was wrong, so it was a long walk into one car entrance after another before finally finding a walk-in entrance to the Mall.

So, I doubt many shoppers will make use of this means of transport, especially if they know what it entails. It is a workaround measure until the Burj Dubai station opens, but even then will there be any better way to get from station to mall? A tram was originally planned but that seems nowhere in sight.

More Bits & Pieces

Precariously hanging barricades below sign. >>

An earlier post included a write-up on car access to Rashidiya station, but I didn't have any photos to illustrate the post. Now I do, and I will be sending one of these to the RTA as it reveals the car entrance to the parking structure involving cars narrowly avoiding a precariously hanging barrier.

I will also be sending in the funny RTA bus sign which reads Burj Bubai instead of Burj Dubai. Not a big deal, I know, but it's a shame to mangle the name of the cities' proudest landmark.

The previous post details first and last train timings, and it is rather a shame that the final train out of some stations is just after 10 p.m. That means there is little chance of relying on the train to enjoy an evening out without having to rush to make the last train, especially if one has to get a connecting bus first. I would have thought that the publicized 11:00 pm end of service would have meant 11:00 pm for last departure.

Last train approaching Rashidiya station

First & Last (Metro Station Timings)

Knowing when to be there...

Reading this table:

From Rashidiya station get the first morning train at 6:00 am toward Nakheel Harbour & Tower.
In the evening, get the last train toward NH & T at 22:10.

Rashidiya to Nakheel Harbour & Tower Saturday - Thursday Metro Timings
Station	First Train	Last Train
Rashidiya	6:00	22:10
Airport Terminal 3	6:04	22:14
Deira City Centre	6:10	22:20
Al Rigga	6:12	22:22
Union	6:15	22:25
Khalid Bin al Waleed	6:17	22:27
Al Jafiliya	6:21	22:31
Financial Centre	6:26	22:36
Mall of the Emirates	6:39	22:49
Nakheel Harbour & Tower	6:50 (arv)	23:00 (arv)

Reading this table:

I finish work near the Financial Centre at 10 p.m. What's the last train I can get back to Rashidiya?
It's at 10:36 p.m.

Nakheel Harbour & Tower to Rashidiya Saturday - Thursday Metro Timings
Station	First Train	Last Train
Nakheel Harbour & Tower	6:02	22:12
Mall of the Emirates	6:13	22:23
Financial Centre	6:26	22:36
Al Jafiliya	6:30	22:40
Khalid Bin al Waleed	6:34	22:44
Union	6:37	22:47
Al Rigga	6:39	22:49
Deira City Centre	6:42	22:52
Airport Terminal 3	6:47	22:57
Rashidiya	6:52 (arv)	23:02 (arv)

See also:
What's in a Number, for a sequential list of metro related number facts.

Rashidiya Station by Car, Wifi & Tricky Nols

<< Train entering Rashidiya station toward Nakheel Harbour & Towers terminus.

Rashidiya station access by car is the topic I will look at first today. There are two entrances that I know of, possibly a third.

One is easily taken by following Airport Rd. from the direction of city center toward Khawaneej. There are signs to guide you as you near the station and finally enter by exiting right and following the driveway into the parking structure.

A second entrance is from Emirates Rd., Dubai bound from Sharjah. Again there are signs as one approaches the Rashidiya exit which requires one to basically keep right until eventually reaching the parking entrance ramp, at which point cars follow the left lane and buses/truckes follow the right. (It is all clearly marked, but the key is to remain in the far right lane while exiting Emirates Rd.)

I presume there is a third access route when coming from Emirates Rd., Sharjah bound, which most likely merges with the ramp from the Dubai bound Emirates Rd. exit. In addition, if coming along Airport Rd. from the direction of Khawaneej, one can make a U-turn at the signal just in front of the station and take the immediate right exit into the parking structure.

Wifi no goes....

My wifi troubles continue. I decided to go for as unfettered usage as possible by opting for the expensive 200 dhs package which gives one 60 hrs of use within a 60-day validity period. (It's a sucky package but that is the best per minute rate available.)

Lo and behold one cannot register with a credit card but must go and buy a Du prepaid card from somewhere. The only credit card option available is one hour for 10 dhs. So, frustrated but with no other choice, I enter all my details online to make the 10 dhs payment.

Press submit... OK. Then press proceed... nothing. Press again, wait 2, 3, 4 minutes, still nothing.

I go back to repeat the process. Enter all details and press submit... OK. Then press proceed.... Nothing! Effectively, there is no way to get online. My wifi experience on the metro just gets more and more complicated as the days go by.

Tricky Nol...

Confused by Nol? Or is it just one of the interesting ceilings in the Dubai Mall? >>

I don't think I have the knack of using the Nol card correctly yet. Does anyone?

A pamphlet handed out to me on the bus today explains that one must continue to tap the Nol card on the reader until a green flashing light appears. On exiting the bus and tapping my card, I saw only a yellow light, and somewhat distracted with a heavy bag and hands occupied I exited without re-tapping.

The lesson to be learnt, be very attentive with the Nol card! Focus, focus, make sure hands are free and any otherwise distracting issues have been put aside.

Take the Nol card in hand, zero in on the reader, wave, wiggle, press or tap the card on the reader, pay attention to all flashing lights and numbers and be ready to repeat the procedure if need be. (This applies to using the Nol card with the bus--at least on the metro the wicket won't let you through until the procedure is properly carried out.)

Now, please go back and review the process again. Fail to master it at your own peril.

Still, this leaves unanswered questions. Is there a window of time in which one must scan his/her Nol card before exiting the bus? E.g. do you scan it before the bus has stopped, while it is stopping or after it has completely stopped--or can you just take the exit scan at anytime? Can misreading occur, i.e. can a scan to get off the bus be mistakenly read as a scan to get on the bus, thus resulting in a double charge of some sort?

Just a few issues surrounding the tricky Nols. I'm sure any one who has used either bus or metro since the Nol cards debuted has a few of his or her own.

Update:

Seeing the yellow light after scanning my Nol card on exiting the bus this morning, I feared my scan was in error and I would thus be penalized. In the evening on scanning when exiting the bus again, the same result: solid yellow light, not green and flashing. So why, I wonder, does the RTA explanation read:

How to use NOL Card/Ticket...

• Check out at the end of journey by tapping the card/ticket on the card readers.
  
• A successful tag is followed by the green light blinking, and this means that the check-in/check-out was successful.
  
• Must continue tapping the reader until the green light blinks.

This info is contained in a pamphlet I was handed while sitting on the bus this morning. However, having done the check-out procedure twice now, I have yet to see any green light, only yellow. Am I color blind? As I've said, tricky Nol. In the end both check-outs registered as normal and I was not charged any additional fares. It was a false alarm, but it certainly added to my confusion today. << SZR towers near Financial Center metro station at dusk.

P.S.

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For clarification (maybe) visit the NOL home--it's actually a well-laid out, informative site.

Read a fascinating description of an upcoming attraction for another one of Dubai's incredible landmarks:
Experience At The Top of the world vistas at Burj Dubai observatory.

Metro Etiquette?

<< Dubai Mall looking fancy, with Eid celebrants and shoppers. The evening commute, about 6 pm, saw a crowded, but not packed train. Migrating to the less crowded carriages I found a set of four seats (2 facing 2) with one empty. In the other 3 seats were 3 women shrouded in black. As I sat down in the empty seat the three ladies reacted with obvious disapproval. Shall I stay seated? Of course I will, I thought. There is a separate ladies' cabin if they object to the presence of a man, I thought--and after all, they were shrouded in black. What more defenses did they need? Before I could make a stand to hold my ground they gestured toward a man sitting across the aisle from us, obviously one in their party, to exchange his seat with me. We exchanged seats, confrontation averted. So what is proper etiquette here? They could share a seat with a man in their party, so why did they not do so from the beginning? And again, there is the women and children's cabin available to them, so I feel I was in the right to remain seated. I was lucky anyway to have a seat, whichever one it was. I could then whip out my laptop and begin editing some photos. I had checked the gold cabin to see if it was perhaps not full while all the other cabins were. Indeed, that was the case; it wasn't full. So, it would seem if one really wants a seat, then he or she is likely to get one in the gold cabin even while all others are full.

<< Speaking of fancy, what great design at Harman Kardmon! Is it really good etiquette to indulge in my laptop while riding, instead of possibly interacting with fellow riders? As a touch typist, I'm usually able to look around or at least glance up while typing. So I'm quite ready to make that connection with fellow commuters, should the opportunity avail itself.

What a great combination of TV and stand--also at Harman House. Unfortunately the stand was for display only. >> Speaking of the laptop... I still have gripes with the wifi--the high cost and the nuisance involved in having to log in each time even if you've paid. I don't think I've even seen anyone else using a laptop while riding, besides myself. Am I the only nerd, or is the not-so-practical wifi service putting people off? I've come to reason that the most practical payment option is to go for 25 hours at 100 dhs. That way I would not have to worry about always logging in and logging off to avoid wasting expensive minutes. But even this plan is rather unreasonable as it expires in 30 days. So, if you don't use it you easily lose it. Du, the provider, really has a consumer unfriendly service.

Gold Class

A little bit of class--gold class cabin comforts. >>

Today I've decided to try a bit of luxury by taking the gold class. It's something one has to try as I suppose it is a novelty for a metro. I have been on over a dozen different metro systems around the world and this is the first I've seen with different classes.

So, how does it differ from the cattle classes? Well, actually, the regular cabins are fine as they are. The seating is comfortable, the decor nice and there is ample space, except of course when the train fills up.

At the beginning run of the line--on those first heady days--there were no class distinctions, it seems, as everyone simply boarded and sat or stood where they liked. Many people were so enthusiastic about taking photos (myself included) that they loaded into the gold class cabin for a view through the picture window at the front of the driverless trains.

Tunneling toward the underground stations. >>

Now, as I start my gold class journey I find that I'm in the company of several Emiratis. It is the whole idea of this class that it will coax Emiratis to give up their cars. They would otherwise shun any form of public transportation as, shall I say, being below them. Such have many Emiratis been spoiled by the many luxuries available to those with money and position in this country.

Time will tell whether the ruler's plan works and gold class is successful in getting more Emiratis to ride. The cabin, itself, makes up only half of a single carriage so it isn't particularly large, and it seats only 18 or so.

The key attraction of this class, in fact, is the seats--of padded leather, with head and arm rests. Well, I can confirm that the seats are very comfortable, more befitting a longer journey, rather than a workday commute.

<< One of the larger underground stations, Union Station.

I have to say I am really enjoying the way riding in this class facilitates typing on my laptop. Also, the front-facing orientation of some of the seats allows one to look right out through the front of the train, which is particularly nice. Is it worth the cost, which is double that of the regular fare? I would say definitely yes, but only if your ride is more that just a couple of stops. There would be no point in doing it for only a 10 or 15 minute hop, skip and jump.

Interestingly there are seat trays on seat backs allowing those seated behind them to have their coffee and donut. But then, there is no eating on the trains, so one will have to store something else there. It has a luggage compartment too, so this may be the way to go if you are riding to the airport.

How, you may wonder, do they restrict non-gold card carriers from riding in this section? One passes through the ticket wicket with his/her respective card and then is able to choose wherever he/she likes to sit or stand on the train.

After the metro, it's a bus ride for me along Sheikh Zayed Road. >>

Well, today on entering the gold class cabin we were asked to show our cards. It seems that the cabin crew are ready to take a quick inspection of the cards of anyone boarding the gold class cabin at every stop. So, it is good to keep one's card in hand.

That said, it is still a matter of the honor system. The cards are not scanned so anyone carrying a spare gold card may flash it whether they used it to enter the station interior or not. This will probably change in time.

The main thing I would miss in taking the gold cabin is the opportunity to mix with more of Dubai's working classes.

Crowd Control

<< Rashidiya metro station picking up Eid passenger traffic.

Yesterday, the second day of Eid and a nearly universal holiday for workers, meant there were going to be crowds at the more popular city attractions, and the metro is probably near the top of the list of things to experience in Dubai.

I would have preferred to avoid the metro, but it was my only chance to treat to the experience an out of town friend who otherwise wouldn't have been able to get the time off.

We joined hundreds of others in what turned out to be a full-blown, potentially crushing crowd at the Rashidiya station just after sunset.


Growing crowds of holidaying metro tourists. >>

The parking lot had two and a half of its seven levels full--over twice what has thusfar been normal on a work day--and the crowds materialized at the entrance to the foot bridge crossing that leads from the carpark lobby to the ticketing lobby.

It was after about an hour of waiting and enduring moderate pushing when we were told by the station managers that the station was closed and no one else would be allowed to enter.

The station was not closed, in fact, but this was perhaps the most effective way to manage what were otherwise impossible numbers. It was quite obvious that we were, 99% of us I would presume, metro tourists. So, no harm in being told to just go home.

The situation could easily have become hazardous had no crowd control measures been taken or had the crowd been required to wait there much longer.

The following measures which were taken in the interim were of limited, but critical, effectiveness:

1. All doors, but one, were closed in order to regulate movement of the crowd from the car park lobby to the ticketing lobby. (In fact, the flow was not regulated but simply halted.)
   
2. The crowd was held at bay in the car park lobby and on the steps (not good) leading up to the foot bridge which led to the ticketing lobby. (This would prevent crowding issues in the ticketing lobby and on the boarding platform but not right there in the car park lobby itself.)
   
3. Passengers exiting the station were required to take the exit stairs before reaching the car park lobby. (Good move, no caveats on this one.)
   
4. An English and then an Urdu speaker announced through a megaphone that women and children should migrate to one side of the wide footbridge entrance and men to the other, with a 30:70 ratio of men (the larger number) to women and children (another good move).
   
5. It was requested that everyone remain patient and calm. (The most simple and effective measure taken.)

⇑ Two station officials attempt to control the crowds. Man at right (speaking in English) cool and collected but soon nowhere to be seen, man at left (speaking in Urdu) making a frantic and noble attempt to keep things under control.

Thankfully, the final two measures helped to avoid a potentially fatal push from the back of the crowd into the barricade of closed and blocked doors at the front. However, that did not prevent the male side of the crowd from becoming a bit aggressive when it seemed that some were finally being let through.

In response Emirati security personnel showed up and attempted to crudely order the crowd to line-up. That failing and clearly not possible due to the placement of the crowd, it was finally announced that the station was closed.

In the final analysis, there were at least two serious potential hazards in this situation, one, the closed doors leaving a portion of the crowd juxtaposed on steps with a growing crowd behind them, and the other, the long time (one hour) in which the crowd was left to swell without any information on when or how they would be eventually allowed to enter.

The crowd should have been dispersed in half that time if, as was the case, it was not possible to allow any flow into the station.

To the credit of the station masters, they did use a megaphone to address the crowd and in the two languages which were probably the most widely understood. It was also wise on their part to separate the men from the women & children. It was, in fact, not an unruly crowd--most seemed to appreciate our predicament. However, crowds will be crowds--people will eventually begin to jostle, and this did begin to happen.

Simple Alternatives

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People seem to forget that there are nearly always alternative courses of action one may take. One of those alternatives is to just abandon your plans and accept that there will be another day. Nothing, not even getting to work on time or getting there at all, is all important. When there is too much fog on the road, just call in and say you can't make it. When you're too tired, just pull off the road and take a nap.

<< The giant aquarium, one of Dubai Mall's star attractions.

The prudent measure was to announce the closure of the station. In whatever way people had gotten to the station, they could just as well leave the station in the same way.

I left in my car, with my small group of friends, and we drove to Dubai Mall where we also met huge holiday crowds. It was still a good evening out.

Later, when one in my party asked to be driven to the fish market area of Deira, I had to politely refuse.


Dubai Mall and the Burj Dubai tower's other main attraction, the free of cost Lake Fountain performance. >>.

I suppose he hadn't learned his lesson at the metro station, but I certainly had. I didn't want to lose another hour, this time trapped in a line of cars in Shindhaga tunnel.

I decided we would try Rashidiya station again, but instead of taking the parking lot entrance over the footbridge, we could enter the ticket lobby directly from street level.

It was two hours after our initial attempt and by this time the crowds had all cleared. My friends all got their first metro ride after all.

Studio on Rails

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<< I'm always camera-ready on the metro.

Dubai metro could take on this monicker.

Having debuted at a time when the mobile phone camera is ubiquitous and there are at least 2 mobile phones per capita in the UAE, there is no shortage of photographers on the metro trains.

A few of us even carry our SLRs and it seems both the officials and the passengers are comfortable with camera toting enthusiasts like me. Two passengers willingly allowed me to use the metro as their canvas. (It was their request and my pleasure to comply!)

If anyone notices this 6-foot forty-something on board with camera in hand, just say cheese and I'll be your willing photographer.

The metro is proving a good place to meet new people, like the two I met happy to have their photos taken, and I happy to oblige.