Etihad Rail's Dubai station could link directly with Dubai Metro
Dubai: The news of the UAE national passenger train network opening its doors with this first train could take a while to catch on, But here's one of the more interesting details that has emerged concerning what we do before and after stepping onto those trains rather than what's actually in those carriages
The new station in Dubai, opening September 30, is expected to connect directly with the Dubai Metro system for the first time, effectively sewing together the national train network with the emirate's most popular mass transit option.
Will Etihad Rail’s Dubai station connect to the Dubai Metro?
Adhraa Almansoori aligned the Dubai station closely with the existing Dubai Metro station at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which is in development as Etihad Rail gains momentum to create one seamless journey for passengers, instead of two transport systems running parallel but separately.
The two stations are four minutes apart and the passenger charter on the Etihad Rail website indicated Metro and bus links will serve train stations.
"When it comes to last-mile connectivity, we will replicate what was done at our stations in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah when opening the new stations in Dubai and Al Dhaid. In Dubai, this could include either linking to the existing Metro station, given how close the Etihad Rail station is to it, and/or connecting with public buses and taxis in place. "It's just about being able to make sure that you give our passengers that seamless connectivity at the end of the day," she added.
Etihad Rail last-mile connectivity strategy
Admittedly the metro link is part of a much bigger philosophy for Etihad Rail — that passengers’ journeys start before they even set foot on the platform.
Almansoori said: "It's very important for us to understand that the customer journey doesn't just start at just the train station but actually when they get into the station and leave the station.
Etihad Rail is already putting that thought into practice in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, where advance planning with local and government authorities drew an early map of how passengers will reach the station (and leave it).
By this we mean, describe how you arrive at the station and what is waiting for you there. So we take the buses, or the taxis, the e-hailing companies, our personal cars? So, we have a mixture of all of this here at the station," she said.
This is the same model that was tested at the Mohamed Bin Zayed City Station in Abu Dhabi, where Etihad Rail commenced its shuttle bus service, transporting people to and from the station for only Dh10 with a view of integrating it into Dubai's public transport network. The shuttle serves three main locations: the ADNOC Headquarters located along Corniche Road West, the ADNEC Centre in Al Rawdah.
Besides shuttle buses, we have integrated with Abu Dhabi's existing public transport network — buses and taxis," Almansoori said. Other features of the Abu Dhabi station are Hafilat card top-up points which help connect better to Abu Dhabi's public bus network.
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