Extra controllers for Metro trains

On-board assistants will help to reassure people that doors will open and dissuade them from pushing emergency buttons.

DUBAI // Anticipating large crowds over the Eid break, transport officials have increased the number of controllers on each Metro train from one to four in an effort to avoid a repeat of last weekend's confusion, when some passengers caused havoc by pushing emergency buttons unnecessarily. The extra staff will work on after Eid.

Abdul Majid al Khaja, executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority's rail agency, said controllers would try to aid passengers before they panicked in the case of a delay or other disruption. "If they see a family, they will point them to a certain point of the train," he said, speaking at a Ramadan majlis held by the Dubai Press Club on Tuesday night. "With an increase in operators and controllers, we have been able to solve the problem. Every time they see a big group, they will help and reassure people that the doors will open eventually and tell them not to push the buttons."

Emergency stop buttons are located on the platforms in all the stations, as well as next to the train doors inside the carriages. The Red Line, which opened to the public a week ago today, is expected to attract even more passengers this weekend than last, when 114,000 were counted in the first two days. Mr al Khaja said it could take three weeks before the service lost its appeal for "joyriders" whom he blamed for some of the disruption last weekend. "It's a Dh2,000 (US$544) fine to pull that lever," he said. "It is too crowded, and maybe some did it deliberately."

When the emergency buttons are pressed, the entire 41km of operational track is shut down and has to be reset by the central control room. Trains are moved to the nearest station before the service resumes, which can take up to an hour. The Metro network has 300 closed-circuit cameras along its lines and on the trains. Each emergency stop button can be pinpointed by a computer and a camera and studied by officials.

Mr al Khaja said the RTA may take stronger action against people who activate the emergency stop buttons. In Europe, he said, "there are incidents like this, and they spend 24 hours in a jail cell". The system must be free of joyriders for it to function smoothly, he added. "Right now we are in the phase of joyriders, and still many people have not seen the Metro. Over the Eid holidays, we expect visitors from GCC countries, the northern emirates and Abu Dhabi. It is a rough estimate, but joyriders will be over in another three weeks."

Transport officials also added two bus routes on Monday. One runs parallel to the Red Line and will stop at each station. If a train breaks down, buses will take the stranded passengers to the next station with a working train. In the event of an airport train breaking down, a second bus will be deployed to take passengers directly to the airport. "We have the priority of people getting to the airport and are confident that they will get there by a certain time," Mr al Khaja said.

A total of 323,996 passengers have used the Red Line in the week since its opening last Wednesday. On Tuesday, 44,155 passengers were counted. [e-mail]