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29 March 2024

'30 buses, 1,110 taxis for people stuck on Metro'

Published
By Bindu Rai

The Dubai Metro ‘technical snag’ on Tuesday evening saw several commuters walk back home, as others reported long lines for buses and taxis.
 
Despite the breakdown of two hours, several commuters lauded Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) staff for handling the situation ‘effectively’ as crowds swelled within the stations.
 
For passengers aboard the Metro when the train stropped midway between stations, there was little option but to start walking to escape sitting on a train during rush hour, with no power, said one commuter.
 
The incident occurred around 6.30pm yesterday and commuters took to social media to report that Dubai Metro services on the Red Line between Business Bay and Union stations had been suspended in both directions due to a technical problem.
 
Muazza Saeed Al Marri, Director of Communications Roads and Transport Authority, confirmed with Emirates 24|7 that the Dubai Metro services had resumed after two hours of disruption, adding that “a total of 30 buses and 1,110 taxis were sent to the Metro stations to transport the passengers.”
 
However, several commuters chose to brave the heat and walk home after being dissuaded by the lines for the buses and the taxis outside the affected stations.
 
Edna Parker, who walked from Al Jafliya to BurJuman, said: “I was headed to Al Jafliya around 7.15pm, when I saw the huge crowds swelling inside the station. From a previous experience of being stranded at the Metro station, I had an inkling that something was wrong.”
 
Parker described chaos at the station, but stated that an RTA official was at hand directing people to turn back and look for alternative transport options as the Metro wasn’t functioning.
 
“I turned back out to find myself a taxi, but the crowds at the stop and near the buses were simply too much for me to wait around for, so I decided to walk to Bur Dubai instead.”
 
Sarwat Ammar, a commuter tweeted: “Dubai Metro went out of order at 6.50pm; after more than 30 minutes, we were called to come out of Metro and walk towards the Karama station.”
 
MR, who was commuting between the Al Jafiliya and Karama stations, saw crowds of people walking.
 
“I was waiting at the Sana signal, headed from Garhoud into Bur Dubai, when we saw this sight to behold,” she recalled. “I’m assuming the train had stopped after leaving from the Al Jafiliya station and the commuters were headed by foot towards the Karama station to get out.
 
Meanwhile, Bilal Manzoor, who was travelling from World Trade Centre to Karama metro station also had to embark on his journey on foot.
 
He recalled: “I heard on the radio while I was on my way that there is some kind of delay but nothing about the closure of any metro station. However, while en route, I did notice more than usual people waiting for taxis. All this was around 7.45pm.”
 
Both Parker and Manzoor stated that while the staff were courteous and helpful, had there been more RTA staff on hand or regular announcements being made over the PA system, it could have made it simpler for all those stranded there.
 
“Having said that, things go wrong in every part of the world and no doubt RTA is doing a great job but they should have some kind of plan to handle such a situation in future.”
 
Shakieb Faizel tweeted: “When we entered the Karama platform after walking along the railings, the officer returned greetings to our tired faces. The concern seen on the face of the police officer at Karama metro station gave a sense of safety.”

Meanwhile, Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of the Automatic Collections System (ASC) at the RTA has requested passengers facing issues with NoL cards – after they were unable to ‘checkout’ from their incomplete rides yesterday during the breakdown – to come forth and lodge complaints to rectify the issue.
 
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, he said: “We are still awaiting clarity on what logging issues some commuters may be facing today, but we urge the public that if they are facing such problems on their NoL cards to contact us on our toll free number so we can solve their problems.”