Dubai's sprawling new central bus stations take shape

Construction work on the transport hubs in Oud Metha and Satwa is due to be completed this year

Dubai's new bus terminals take shape. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office / RTA

The two stations are part of an upgrade and expansion of the bus network. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Construction work on the terminals in Satwa and Oud Metha is due to be completed by the end of 2020. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Dubai's new bus stations take shape. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Oud Metha station near Dubai Creek has rooftop parking and is located close to the metro station. Courtesy: RTA

The bus station in Satwa will serve 7,800 passengers per day, rising to 15,000 with future expansion. Courtesy: RTA

Satwa’s existing bus station has limited cover and no air conditioning for passengers. Reem Mohammed / The National

Passengers wait at Satwa's existing bus station on a rainy evening. Reem Mohammed / The National

Construction work on Dubai's two new bus terminals is due to be finished later this year, the city's transport authority said.

A video showed the stations in Oud Metha and Satwa were taking shape ahead of a planned completion date in late 2020.

The new transport hubs, which were first unveiled last year, are part of a modern upgrade to the city's bus services.

Foundation work and concrete skeletons have already been completed on both stations, which have capacity to serve up to 25,000 passengers per day.

"The new stations boast a unique design that blends innovative engineering designs with new concepts of public transport," Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said on Saturday.

He said building work was more than 70 per cent complete.

The Oud Metha terminal is close to the existing metro station of the same name and has rooftop parking.

Serving about 10,000 passengers per day, it will connect people with Academic City and International City, which are not on the two metro lines.

The station in Satwa, a densely populated district also not directly served by the metro, can accommodate about 7,800 passengers per day, rising to 15,000 with further expansion.

The RTA also plans to build more than 1,500 new bus shelters are part of investment in the bus network.

Unlike the existing functional shelters, future shelters will be designed to take "into consideration the use of an architectural theme befitting their surroundings," the RTA said.