Dubai metro: A model for Gulf urban rail growth

The Gulf region is preparing for significant growth in the coming decades, with cities such as Dubai and Riyadh aiming to double their populations and expand their economies. To achieve these ambitious goals, the focus must be on improving mobility, not just by building roads but also by enhancing public transportation.

The United Arab Emirates is taking steps to address its future transportation needs with the 1,200km Etihad Rail route, which will connect the Emirates to the rest of the Gulf. However, the opening of Dubai Metro in 2009 provided a blueprint for the future of urban rail in the region. It has offered an alternative to private cars, taxis, and buses, and has been highly successful. In fact, over 621 million journeys were made on public transport in Dubai last year, with the metro accounting for 225 million of those trips, which is 40 million more than taxis and 70 million more than public buses.

The Gulf region has also seen the development of other metro systems, including a small seasonal system in Makkah, which has been operational since 2010, and Doha’s 76km service, which opened in 2019. Riyadh’s 176km metro is expected to be completed within the next year, ready for a 2024 launch.

According to a new report from Strategy&, a consulting arm of the accountancy and professional services giant PwC, titled “Effective Metro System and Investment,” GCC cities currently have about 400km of metro lines. However, the report suggests that by 2030, the region will require a further 1,100km of metro lines to cope with projected growth. This will require an investment of $220 billion, although the direct and indirect socioeconomic benefits could be several times larger.

Jean-Christophe Chuniaud, senior vice president at International East of Systra, the company that developed Dubai Metro after carrying out its feasibility study, highlighted the benefits of metro systems for the region. He said that “metros bring a lot of comfort and reliability for the user, especially driverless systems. It’s very safe and functional and a high-frequency system. In Dubai, about 20% of the population uses the metro. That’s 20% less traffic on the road, 20% pollution reduction, time saved, and saving on road infrastructure. It makes the cost of transport cheaper. A metro ticket is much cheaper than maintaining a car.”