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. ↓

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

Bold Initiatives

Meeting the city's public transport needs. >>

"We are planning to have 90 per cent of Dubai's urban and suburban areas covered with public buses by 2010 with more than 2,000 buses," said Al Dossari.

He said the maximum distance to get to the public transport would be 250 metres from a passenger's doorstep once the system is fully operational by the end of next month.

Gulf News_17-Sep-09

Fanciful?

I came to the UAE 9 years ago and at that time could count the number of bus routes on two hands.

Now there are dozens and the investment in buses seems to already be in the thousands.

During 2010 both of the metro lines should be fully operational and already it is apparent that feeder buses along the existing line have already made the 250 meters goal a reality in some areas.

I can't imagine anywhere else where the commitment to public transport has improved so dramatically within so short a time.

Union Station historical museum style interiors (above & below).

A reflective take on the city >> All alone is how I start my train ride today, at the usual time--about 9 a.m. Not a single other soul in my carriage nor in the women's and gold class sections nearby. It's not really a good sign. Anecdotally, morning usage seems to have grown lighter as the week has progressed. Still, it's early days yet. It is another bright, clear morning, with the city quickly coming into focus. My train arrived at the Airport Terminal 3 station where I saw a couple of pax toting big bags on wheels heading into the terminal. I'm not absolutely sure that they had disembarked from the metro, but it would appear so and it would also seem that heavy bags are allowed on the metro, within reason. I would qualify this by explaining that many workers, especially laborers in the UAE, usually head back to their home contries on vacation or final return with huge parcels--containing the maximum weight allowed. This was formerly 50 kg--a massive amount when packed into a single carton, but I believe that the limit has been reduced in recent years. In any event, these travelers still carry quite a bit with them, so I'm doubtful that this would fall into the metro carry-on allowance. The train has picked up a few more pax in the underground stations, but there are still seats available. With that it's time to attempt to log in and upload before I reach my final stop.

Quote of the Day

---

"And now our challenge is how to really persuade the UAE people to travel on this train. They will take time but this is there.

"Foreigners will travel on it, I will travel, but it will take time to make UAE citizens travel on the train."

Sheikh Mohammad, ruler of Dubai

Will they be convinced to ride the buses, too?

Busing

I wasn't thinking much beyond the metro window when I started this blog, but just as interesting is the view from and on the bus. Taking the bus, seems to be an essential component of taking the metro. In that light the unified bus/metro fare makes sense.

Dubai 2009--the future is now. Train approaching Financial Center station.

I'd have to say I'm a fan of Dubai's double-decker buses. They're not like the famous Red London buses as the ones in Dubai are all brand new and ultra modern. Riding on the top deck you get an unrivaled and basically free tourist-ready view of the city.

Different from the metro, you will find more laborers on the buses, but for the most part the passengers seem to consist of a full variety of the population, excluding Western expats and locals. Actually, there appear to be very few Arabs of any nationality.

Oh well, that leaves us with natives of the sub-continent, as it's called, and Filipinos mostly.

Sitting in the seat across the aisle from me is a handsome Pashtoon wearing the traditional hospital gown colored pajama garb and a Ramadan beaded cap. For the most part, things shiny and new like these buses and the metro, remain that way in Dubai. I think I'm the only person around toting an expensive camera and laptop, but there is no need to be concerned about anything getting snatched.

Station entrance of Financial Center

Bank vault? No, restroom entrance in the station.

Back on the metro I am continuing my commute to Rashidiya. When I boarded, the train was packed.

At the first stop I got off and moved up a few carriages to where there was a bit more space. Then, I disembarked again at Union station and took photos on the two station levels there.

That done, I came back down to the platform and boarded the next Rashidiya bound train, which was quite empty.

I have a seat now, the easier to blog from! The moral of this, if your carriage is too crowded get off and move to another. If the train is still too crowded, then disembark and take the next one.

Sun sets on the city--view from the metro at DXB International.

Metro Community

This was mentioned on the radio this morning--the supposition that you have a sense of community forming around the metro commute.

It's a logical presumption. You may or may not interact with those around you, but I'm sure when one encounters familiar faces, there will be more interaction.

There is also the opportunity to interact with the metro system staff, and there is quite a large number at present. On my commute thus far I meet first the parking attendants and various maintenance workers, cleaning staff, customer assistants (who stand in the ticket lobby assisting passengers), ticket sales and information counter staff, security personnel and finally the cabin crew. I was informed today that there are 2 cabin crew personnel and one security officer on my train. There is no driver, of course.

There you have it--quite a varied assortment, even more so when you take into account the variety of passengers. I can't say I've done too well on my interpersonal efforts. I shall make more of an attempt to at least greet staff. A few of my encounters have involved wrangling over ticketing issues--already discussed in previous posts.

Wifi continues to be a bit of a bane for me. I am quite certain that upload ability is severely limited. At best one might upload a text only post to his/her blog and send off text only emails. Attempting to transfer even a small picture file of less than 100k can mean waiting several minutes, by which time you'll probably need to disembark.

My other issue with the Wifi is the cost. At 10 dhs for 60 minutes it takes you back to the days of dial up when you had to disconnect once your page loaded and do your reading offline. As it stands on the metro you'll have your 60 minutes and 10 dhs melt away in no time. This is not what wifi is supposed to be about. It needs to be continuous or it loses half its value. It is as though you had to go and switch on and off the power supply in your home when using electrical appliances in order to avoid being overcharged.

Light passenger traffic on the train this morning. Even fewer than yesterday. It's 9:30, roughly the same time as my travel yesterday.

Time to sign off, now to get off at my approaching stop.

Failed attempt. The time it took to log in and then attempt to upload my post w/o picture was almost 5 minutes by which time I reached my stop. This is very poor performance for a wifi service.

PS: Complaint/Suggestion

---

I have just logged a complaint through the RTA helpline 8009090 (very handy, good service) about the poor upload capacity and high charge for wifi. I must say, the CS agents are very responsive when taking any suggestions. I will follow up here with any response. If anyone else has concerns on these two issues, please login your complaint as well.

Commuting Success

Metro traffic still light this morning. One friendly face now on my third day of commuting--security guard Zahir at Rashidiya station. I think I chatted with him on the 10th when everybody excitedly took the early morning ride on the first metro train to depart.

<< The interior of those lustrous double-decker buses.

It's a hazy morning as usual as I pass the airport on my right, with views of SZR towers in the distance on the left. I can't make out the Burj Dubai today due the haze, despite it otherwise being a bright and sunny day.

In my carriage there are only a handful of other riders now at 9:30 a.m. I picked up a new Nol card for a colleague today--wanted to pay by credit card. Unfortunately credit card payment isn't up and running yet, whether for new cards or topping up. The vending machines are operating on a cash only basis, and I was informed that any change provided would only be in coins. So, still some issues to work out there.

For anyone considering starting their commute on the Metro, there is no time better than now. With light usage at present one can enjoy a quiet, comfortable ride. Of course, for many people the issue is connecting with home and work when boarding or exiting the metro.

I am about to find out after I exit the station whether I have finally cracked the connection riddle. If all goes right, I'll exit at the Financial Center station and walk a hundred meters or so to a nearby bus stop, where I'll be able to take the 98E bus to the office.

(Deira City Center, btw, the first underground station and the third stop along the line is the first where I've seen a good number of people to board. There are still lots of empty seats in the carriage, however.)

SZR with Business Bay towers in the background. >>

The fact is, there is a way if there is a will, but I'm sure most people don't have the patience or motivation to find the way. It is cynical to fault the RTA, I feel, when a lot of effort is being made to make things as convenient and usable as possible. No one and no organization is perfect, after all.

(Now at Khalid Bin al Waleed station the carriage has finally filled up with all seats taken.)

On Disembarkation...

---

So, the test today is whether I will finally be successful with the bus.

• Correction from yesterday: My mistake, the bus stop I needed does have the 98E bus indicated--I had checked the wrong stop.
  
• The correct stop is about 500 meters from the station, much closer to the preceding metro stop, which is not yet open. So, it is a bit of a walk, but no loss to me--all in a day's exercise.
  
• Feeder buses are coming by on target it seems, separated by 5 to 10 minutes. That should make metro commuting quite easy once all stations are open.
  
• The 98E has also arrived in a timely manner, with only 15 minutes or so between this one and the preceding bus.

With that I pronounce my efforts to commute via the metro, finally, a success. I'll be at my office in about 10 minutes of boarding the bus, making the entire metro/bus transfer about 65 minutes. An hour in transit is acceptable, and once the station nearest my office opens I should save another 15 or 20 minutes.

<< View of the Greens from top level of double decker.

That said, the metro isn't a timesaver for me. Were I to continue my drive from Ajman rather than parking at Rashidiya station I would need only an additional 20-30 minutes, rather than the hour needed for train and bus. It won't be a timesaver for anyone not living either directly on a Metro line or a feeder bus route.

But it is a money saver, and it allows one to do something while commuting--that is, if a seat is available. My total fair for train and bus each way is 2.3 dirham (about 62 US cents). The cost for me to drive with petrol and regular maintenance far exceeds this.

System Check No.2

---

Now that I've worked out the daily work commute, a second test needed is on how reliable the system is for making appointments. I have set myself the task of getting from my office to another--neither being directly on the metro or the feeder lines. I had to do extensive research with Wojathi. The RTA's online journey planner, as it is called, enables you to plan your journey via public transport in precise detail. In this case for example, I'm told what bus to take at what times, how far to walk (time and distance) between connections, and of course, metro timing. It'a a bus-train-bus trip with a kilometer or more of walking in between. Let's see how it goes.

Results in and test a FAILURE!

The bus part is the problem. While I waited at MOE and watched all the Feeder buses pass by, my normal bus just never showed up. The normally 20-minute trip by car took about 2 hrs and that with finally giving up and taking a taxi.

Glitches...

---

Passing through one of the yet to be opened stations. >>

There are bound to be more of these while metro services are still new. This one concerns the wifi connection. I went for the 1-hr, 60-day option, but in just two days it has expired. Did I already use up 1 hour? I'm on the train 15 min to and fro each day, so were I logged in the full time I guess it's plausible. Anyway, I'll sign up again and monitor the time more carefully.

One more thing. While the signal is excellent, upload times appear to be very slow, while incoming data is quite fast.

I thought my card was once again being mischarged for my journeys but a check at the info station showed all was fine. I guess half of the problem with the cards is that passengers can't monitor their usage independently, so I suspect it will lead to a lot of us thinking incorrectly that we were cheated.

Third time the charm?

---

<< The blogger himself, enjoying a metro ride.

Back on the metro now for the third journey of the day, 7 pm and traveling from MOE to Rashidiya. Passenger load is light. A few people standing in some carriages, however, there are still open seats. Let's see if the train gets fuller or emptier as we pass through the city center. It's Ramadan anyway, so that helps thin out the traffic a bit.

PM Commute

The pride of Dubai: 165-story Burj Dubai, seen through tinted glass from the top deck of the 98E bus.

It's 6 pm now and I'm on the commute back home, leaving Jafliya station and heading underground to my favorite, Bur Juman station. I won't be getting off there, however. It's back to Rashidiya and then my drive back to Ajman.

I struggled with the bus in the morning but am now getting the hang of it. Wojhati, that online route planner with the Arabic name is becoming more user friendly to me. So, with a feeling of accomplishment I got the bus from work on time and on the right route, got a lot of photos enroute and happily topped up my Nol card when I reached the station.

From office door, a brief walk to the bus stop, a few minutes wait for the bus, a 10 minute ride, then off the bus and into the station terminal in a couple hundred meters--all like clockwork. Finally!

Burj Dubai seen from ground level.

The Financial Center metro station.

Once on the train I crowded in the front car with a few other passengers, all wielding cameras or mobile phones and getting snaps of metro rail, buildings that line either side and approaching stations and trains. It's day 4 or 5 of the metro and the buzz is still in the air. I don't know how long we will all be allowed to take photos at will of station, trains, the cabins and our fellow passengers, but it is fun while it lasts.

Up the escalator of the station foot bridge.

The foot bridge across Sheikh Zayed Rd.

There isn't any evidence of rush hour commuting yet as even at this time it is easy to find a seat, although most are taken. The mix of passengers includes the various nationality types who populate the city. Most are men aged 20-40, probably the largest demographic grouping in the city. But there are some women, couples and the odd family. Most of the men appear to be working class or professionals. I see the occasional dishdasha and abaya as well.

Passengers wait on the platform for their train.

View of the track through the towers of SZR.

Over the intercom is a continuing string of BGM--actually a modern sounding, upbeat little melody that repeats every 9 seconds. Announcements are in Arabic then English. Well, I'm just exiting the underground portion of the route with two stations to go to my stop.

A fellow passenger takes in the views.

From the front car it resembles a rollercoaster.

I'll try to get in a couple more pictures.

Commuting

I'm commuting for the second day running, starting from Rashidiya station at about 9 a.m. There are very few passengers on the train and very few cars parked in the 2700 capacity car park. That suggests that commuters, whether from Sharjah or this side of Dubai, have yet to take up the option to park and ride.

<< a Saturday evening on the metro

For me, it's worth it to take the metro. It is nice to have the easy park facility and it saves me 30km in driving daily. Due to high maintenance costs for running up too much mileage, my car needs the break.

It doesn't, however, save me any time. None of the 10 stations open are near enough to my work place to exit the station and either walk or take a feeder bus. Also the slowest part of my commute--the drive from Ajman through Sharjah--takes most of the time.

It is an hour plus drive, followed by maybe 15-20 minutes with the metro and then the hassle of the bus--not being a feeder bus, wait and travel times are unpredictable.

Yesterday, as mentioned in the previous post, I discovered that the RTA now has a unified fare structure in place so bus journeys cost the same as metro journeys, as determined by distance and zones. So, bus riders may now face a maximum 5.8 dhs fare as opposed to the formerly flat 2 dhs fare. Just yesterday one colleague commented, "Why take the metro when the bus is only 2 dhs?" Well, besides the long waits and circuitous routes of the buses, one now has to pay the same fare.

Blame for recent train delays have been placed on passenger misuse of emergency mechanisms! >>

Granted, there are still only 10 stations and the metro only follows one line through the city, but we're getting there. I'm a metro believer!

It's time to conclude this post as I get near my station. It's very comfortable blogging from a nearly empty metro carriage with a good wireless connection. With only 10 or 15 minutes on the train per ride, I have discovered the best payment option is the 1 hr, 10 dhs credit card plan which is good for up to 60 days.

P.S. More bus woes...

---

On exiting the metro station I once again faced the challenge of getting the bus I needed. The basic issue this time was bus stops not correctly indicating which buses stop there. The huge Trade Center R/A has 3 or 4 bus stops along its circumference. As it turns out the crazy 98E bus stops at two of these, but only one is indicated and which one to choose depends on the direction of the bus, which is, of course, not obvious as it is a roundabout.

Basically I'm on day 4 of trying to discover which buses I need to connect efficiently with the metro. The fact is, the buses I need are there, the proper routes exist, but after 4 days of consulting bus maps online, checking postings at bus stops, speaking with RTA reps and speaking with bus drivers, other passengers and colleagues, I still haven't got it worked out.

Tune in again tomorrow. Hopefully the 5th day will be the charm!

---

<< Photographic murals inside Bur Juman station. The station is like a museum cast in 5-star hotel opulence, while at the same time remaining chic and modern. The images are historic and the blue iridescent lighting profoundly calming. See previous post.