DUBAI // Five new Red Line stations will open as scheduled on October 15, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed.
The stations set to begin service next Friday are, from south to north, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Nakheel, Sharaf DG, First Gulf Bank and Business Bay. They will be the first new stops in five months and were selected on the basis of population density. Nearly 30 buses will link the stations to their surrounding areas.
The move will bring the number of stations in service on the Red Line to 26, leaving three to be completed.
The Green Line, which will have 20 stations, is under construction and is to open next year.
"Yes, they will open on October 15," said Peyman Younes Parham, the director of the RTA marketing and corporate communication department. He did not give dates for the three remaining stations. The agency has cited insufficient nearby development for the delayed openings of the Energy, Jebel Ali Industrial and Jebel Ali stops.
Nakheel is expected to be the most crowded of the new stations since it is near the American University in Dubai and sprawling residential projects such as Emirates Hills.
* Ramola Talwar Badam