Terminal 3

It was evening Saturday, on the eve of Eid.

I somewhat reluctantly took the metro thinking it would be crowded with holiday riders.

My friend wanted to buy an airline ticket and I suggested we do it at Terminal 3 rather than taking the metro to Deira City Center or Mall of the Emirates, where I was sure we would face crowds.

It was also a good excuse to see both the terminal metro station and the new terminal itself.

It was a very short ride from Rashidiya station to T3 station--only one stop.

Rashidiya station wasn't crowded although there were obviously holiday riders--more women, children and families than one would see during the week.




The metro viaduct snakes toward the airport from Rashidiya.>>

I decided to explore the 7 level parking structure at the station with my friend, as I had the time, unlike when commuting to work.

It was surprising to see how massive the structure was with so little of it yet being utilized. There were fully seven levels of parking but only Level 1 and half of Level 2 had cars--only a small percentage of the 2700 car capacity.

The top level in fact was still partly under construction.



<< Train returns to Rashidiya station after switching tracks.

The top level also offered a vantage point for viewing the metro station and any incoming trains from above.

From there I could see how the trains leave the terminus and then soon return by simply switching tracks and heading back into the station, with carriages in the same orientation.

What this means is that the privileged Gold Class compartment is at the rear of the train when Rashidaya bound and, then, only at the head of the train when traveling from Rashidiya to Nakheel Harbour & Tower station at the opposite end of the line.



All Quiet on Both Fronts

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Terminal 3 metro platforms, one above the other. >>

It doesn't seem that airport commuters have taken to making much use of the metro yet as I have yet to see many passengers either embarking or disembarking there.

Today, my friend and I were the only ones to alight at the Terminal 3 station. The station itself was gleaming, and of very different design from the other stations.

It is smaller and interestingly has its two platforms stacked above and below each other.




<< The optical illusion of an escalator going down then up is somewhat disorientating on the T3 footbridge.

One takes the footbridge from the station directly into the airport terminal and again the design is completely different from that at any of the other foot bridgers.

The moving sidewalk, ironically, is much narrower--perhaps to discourage the transport of large pieces of luggage.

Once reaching Terminal 3 one finds himself/herself in a massive hall. But like the station it was extremely quiet of human traffic.



New terminal big and well-designed, but not particularly elegant. >>

I suppose the design of the metro station was intended to complement that of the terminal, but I would say that the metro station designs, whether this one or any of the others, were much more avant garde and stylish than the new airport terminal which, while massive, was rather uninspiring.

I feel the metro stations, whatever the type--underground, above ground or the unique airport stations--are so well-designed, not only functionally but even more so aesthetically.




<< Futuristic lighting in the Khalid Bin al Waleed station (aka Bur Juman). See more of Bur Juman station.

Several different adjectives could be used to describe the stations, which incorporate a variety of themes.

These include modern, post-modern and futuristic, also historical, elegant and grand. I love these stations... the trains are great, but the stations are incredible!