Commuters delighted with Dubai Metro expansion plans

Commuters who rely on the Dubai Metro service have welcomed the recent announcement that the urban rail network is to be expanded.The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently confirmed that the lines would be extended in three stages, with the Khaleej Times reporting that a new Purple, Blue and Gold route are set to be added.In addition to this, significant upgrades will be made to the existing Red and Green services in order to accommodate the extra people choosing to live and work in Dubai.The city's population is forever growing and this has put extra pressure on RTA chiefs to enhance the current public transport infrastructure.Emirates 24/7 took to the streets to find out what the Dubai locals thought of the plans and their reaction was overwhelmingly positive.There was genuine excitement that the new lines would provide far more convenient access to locations that are currently only reachable in road vehicles.Frequent Metro user Neesha Kapoor was quoted as saying: "There are areas like Jumeirah and Mirdiff where commuters still need to take the bus, which means more time spent commuting."Meanwhile, South African resident Bonita Carr told the news provider that the expansion work would ensure Dubai is well and truly seen as a world-class city.Commuters were also excited about the possibility of having the Dubai Metro connected to the Etihad Rail network, which provides trains to Saudi Arabia and Oman.The RTA confirmed earlier this month that each stage of the Metro upgrade would be completed in five-year intervals, with the first phase set to be open to the public in 2020 and the final part of the project completed by 2030.Chairman of the board and executive director at the RTA Mattar Al Tayer suggested the network would cover 421 km by 2030 if Dubai's population grows to six million.A total of 197 stations would be served and Mr Al Tayer expects around 30 per cent of all Dubai residents to use the public transportation system by the time the project is finished.