Found on Dubai Metro: Dh13,000, job, long-lost friend...

On September 9, 2009, the first Dubai Metro train was seen crossing the newly constructed stations dotting the emirate.

Over the years more stations opened, more tracks were laid and an increasing number of commuters took to the transit mode for their daily commute.

On the September 9, this year, Dubai Metro will celebrate its fifth anniversary.

In the last five years a lot of memories have been created, not only by the Metro, but by its passengers as well.

Life-long friendships were created, crucial phone calls were received, and some days in the Metro could just never be forgotten because of the single event that happened that day.

Emirates 24/7 readers share their most interesting metro experiences.

Nabeel Khan - Met his childhood friend

It had been 16 years when Nabeel Khan saw his childhood friend. It was on Dubai Metro,  and it was an incredible coincidence, describes the Pakistani resident of Dubai.

"We went to school together, and not even here but in Pakistan. It was years ago, we met in KG1," narrates Nabeel.

For five years, the two boys spent their days together. But then they both went to a different school and never saw each other again, until that day in the Metro.

"It was a ride from Rashidiya to Al Rigga station. I was approached by a young man. ‘Are you Nabeel?’ he asked. I did not even recognise him at first."

Although the gentlemen, now in their twenties, have not met since that day, they shared a 15 minutes ride mesmerising about the early days. "It was an amazing experience," said Nabeel.

Neesha Kapoor – Lost Dh13,000… and found it

Last year, Neesha Kapoor hopped onto the Metro about to make a trip she would never forget. It could have ended in one of the most regretful trips, but instead she now remembers the day as a truly blessed one.

Neesha was carrying with her Dh13,000 that day, which she had carefully hidden in a pouch. But she had not been careful enough. “When I got off the Metro, I realised that the money was gone.”

Intending to send the money back home, the Indian commuter started feeling helpless, as she did not think that anyone would leave such an amount of money untouched.

Moreover, she did not know where it could have slipped away.

“After a long search in several places, I finally decided to go to the Lost and Found department of the Metro, with little hope that I see that pouch ever again. But to my surprise, the response was positive. ‘Yes, we have found that in the Metro’!”

The money had fallen under a chair and travelled to Al Rashidiya, and back. When cleaners went through the trains to see if anything had been left behind, the honest men spotted the little bag and returned it to the rightful owner.

Regine Albios – Found a job

It was a year ago when Regine arrived in the UAE with the plan to find a job and stay. It was a week later when she received the invitation for her first interview.

Her Metro ride that day determined her future job, the Pilipina narrates one year later.

I lived with my mom near Al Safa Park that time. I took bus 98E to reach Business Bay Metro station, and printed a location map since I did not know anything about the transportation system back then.

Once in the Metro, Regine realised how fast the metro was and how easy it was to get from A to B. Consequently, she had plenty of time left when she had completed her interview, and she decided to take a stroll from Business Bay Metro station.

“It was then when I saw the Emarat Atrium building. Because I did not get the job I had gone for, I decided to walk in, hoping to get a job there.

“I applied and luckily I was chosen for the position right ahead. And here I am now, celebrating my first year with them.”

Emmanuel Bacal – Picks his wife by Metro

Although Emmanuel does not live in Dubai, his wife does. And so he regularly travels from Jeddah to Dubai to visit her. During these visits the Metro is a central part of his experience.

“I do not usually fetch my wife from work, but when I am on vacation in Dubai to visit my wife I do not mind going to her work because I ride Dubai Metro, in the morning and evening,” said the tourist from Saudi Arabia.

He added: “When we are in Dubai together, I am the one who plans where to go as if I am the one who is residing in Dubai, because I have learnt about all the places in the metro.  It is very comfortable, I wish I could work there permanently.”

Chona Gatchalian– Looking for the Metro driver

The fact that Metro trains are operated without a driver is one of the main attractions of Dubai Metro, and can lead to confusion for some.

It happened to the Philipina Chona Gatchalian, when she first stepped onto the Metro.

While sitting on one of the benches on the platform, the Metro approached and finally came to a stop. So did Chona, as she could not move a muscle.

“My friend said: ‘let's go, the Metro is here’. I did not move from the chair. My friend had to pull my hand to drag me in, where I uttered: ‘wait, wait, where is the driver, where is the driver?!’

The other commuters started laughing, as her friend assured her that it was all OK and the Dubai Metro is driverless.

“I was shocked, I was used to see a driver wherever I commute by the train!” Chona laughed.

Jenny Baley –Flash mob

Flash mobs are an increasingly popular phenomenon where a group of people suddenly gather in a public area, performing dance, music or art, after which they quickly disappear.

Dubai Metro has not gone unnoticed to flash-mobbers of Dubai.

“I experienced a flash mob on the Metro once,” said Jenny Baley, a UK commuter. Although it was an individually carried out performance, it was enough to shake up the metro crowd.

“A young hip-looking guy entered, and started beat-boxing. He did that until the next station, where he suddenly disappeared again.”

While some people were astonished, others were clearly amused by the mini-performance, narrates Jenny.

Raza Afzal –Gold Class, accidently

When Raza visited Dubai earlier this year, he was all too excited to use the Metro. And it was a wonderful experience, although he was not entirely at the right place.

“I was travelling in Dubai Metro for the first time, so in all my excitement I did not notice the class divisions on the gates. I was travelling with a silver Nol card, but mistake I stepped in to the Gold Class cabin as the train arrived,” the Pakistani visitor narrated.

“I found some place to stand by the window where the exclusive front view could be enjoyed. We were enjoying the smooth fast journey with skyscrapers passing on both sides, when suddenly two inspectors approached us. They were checking the Nol cards.”

Luckily for Raza, his appearance revealed his non-residence status, and the inspectors quickly realised that the commuter had ended up on the best spot in the Metro by honest mistake.

“The inspector asked me: ‘visitor?’ ‘Yes I am,’ I replied.” At the next station Raza was politely directed to the Silver Class, which he equally enjoyed.

Mirza Saadat Baig – Teenage memory

Mirza began his undergraduate studies in 2010 and Dubai Metro became her everyday travel partner, along with his close friends.

Nowadays the Indian resident of Dubai has a driver’s license and no longer rides the Metro, but the Metro will never become less significant, he says.

“It has given me way too many memories to live with, in the past 5 years and it has been there for me during both my good and bad times.”

“Be it a 15 minute ride or a 45 minutes one, we would ensure to create a chaos with our jokes and laughter, the typical teenagers that we were. Even when I travelled alone without my friends, I was never really alone.

“It is amazing to find new people every day in the Metro. Most of them plugged with their music on, some making it a spot to find quality time with their partners in an otherwise busy life, while others being the ever-enthusiastic tourists snapping pictures of the beautiful city, especially Burj Khalifa.”

Sujata – Must-do activity for guests

Sujata has put in on the must-do-list for the guests who visit her: a ride on Dubai Metro. For the first time in 2012, and many times after that she has taken her visitors on a tour around the city on Dubai Metro.

“Watching the skyline of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, and Burj Al Arab Hotel was like a feast to our eyes,” she remembers about the first Metro ride with her Indian relatives, who work in the rail industry themselves.

“In April 2014, my nephew had come from New York, We took him on a Metro ride from Dubai Mall to Ibn Battuta, but there was no place to sit. I was a little disappointed as I could not make my guest enjoy the ride.

Determined to find a seat for her guest, Sujata and her daughter started spotting departing commuters, but with little luck, until a fellow Taegu-speaker overheard the ladies discuss their wishful thinking.

“We were conversing in Telugu, a South Indian language. Just before the arrival of a station we said things like ‘I wish someone gets down here’, and ‘it looks like we are not going to sit and travel’.

“Suddenly a gentleman got up from his seat and said to us in Telugu: ‘Please take my seat’. It was so embarrassing and also hilarious to watch our expressions at this juncture.”

Farwa Rehman Shaikh – Lives shared

A frequent Metro traveler, Pakistani resident Farwa has sat beside many people, and got an insight into many lives.

Through communication you can build a relation and create a story, filled with joy, pain and struggles that you might get to hear from the person sitting next to you, he describes.

“Now this is a very special relationship because during those 20 minutes you somehow start feeling related to all the people on board. Hearing all those short stories teach you a lot.

“You might start feeling grateful about your life and happier to know that you are not the only one walking across the paths of struggles and difficulties, but there are other people who might be going through much more than you.

“Every journey of mine has been overwhelming!” said Farwa.

“At times it was filled with joy and at other times filled with tears. Yes! Tears! The tears of pain people end up sharing during those 20 minutes of your journey.”

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