Dubai Metro Guide
Dubai Metro is a driverless railway of 55 stations on two lines, and a single ride costs AED 3 to AED 7.50 on a Silver NOL card. Trains run from 05:00 until midnight on most days, and the gate stays shut unless your card holds at least AED 7.50. This page pulls the lines, zones, fares, hours and rules into one place.
How Dubai Metro works on your first ride
Every journey starts and ends with a tap. You touch a NOL card to the gate on the way in, touch it again on the way out, and the fare comes off at the exit once the system knows how many zones you passed through. The gate refuses to open below AED 7.50, which is the single most common reason people end up standing at the barrier with a queue behind them.
A Silver card costs AED 25 and arrives with AED 19 already loaded, so you can walk straight to the platform. Visitors making a handful of trips can buy a paper Red Ticket for AED 2 instead, though each ride on it costs more, from AED 4 to AED 8.50. The five card types differ on price, balance limits and who they suit.
Trains have three cabin types: Gold Class at the front, a Women and Children cabin next to it, and standard cabins behind. Platform screen doors mean you queue where the door will open, and there is no driver to wave at because the whole network runs automatically. For what changed this year, ridership, the NOL system upgrade and the new lines, the 2026 news roundup keeps the running log.
The two lines and 55 stations
The Red Line carries 35 stations from centrepoint in Al Rashidiya down the length of Sheikh Zayed Road to Life Pharmacy, with a six station Route 2020 branch peeling off at National Paints towards Expo 2020. End to end it takes about 79 minutes on the current RTA timetable. The Green Line has 20 stations from e& in Al Qusais through Deira and Bur Dubai to Creek, a run of roughly 40 minutes.
Add the 11 Dubai Tram stops in the Marina and the rail network reaches 66 stations in total. The tram is a separate service with its own hours, but it shares the same NOL card and the same fare table, and it meets the metro at DMCC and Sobha Realty.
Both lines opened in phases from 9 September 2009, and the operator has been Keolis MHI since September 2021. The full station list gives code, line, zone and opening date for each one, along with every station that has been renamed since 2009.
Dubai Metro fares and the zone system
Fares depend on how many RTA fare zones your journey touches, not on distance. Seven zones exist, and only four of them contain a rail station: 1, 2, 5 and 6. That is why one stop across the creek from Union to BurJuman costs the same as the long run from Mall of the Emirates to Ibn Battuta inside Zone 2.
Zone 5 covers Deira, Al Qusais and both airport stations. Zone 6 takes in Bur Dubai, Zabeel, Downtown and Business Bay. Zone 2 stretches from Al Safa to Jebel Ali and holds Mall of the Emirates, the Marina and every tram stop. Zone 1 is the far south west around Jebel Ali Industrial, Dubai Investment Park and Expo City. Zones 3, 4 and 7 carry buses only.
A Gold card pays double on metro and tram for the front cabin. Students aged 5 to 23, seniors over 60 and Social Affairs beneficiaries pay half on a Blue card. Children aged 5 or under and People of Determination ride free. The fare calculator prices any pair of stations and counts the zones for you.
| Journey | Silver or Blue | Gold Class | Red Ticket | Concession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within 1 zone | AED 3 | AED 6 | AED 4 | AED 1.50 |
| 2 adjacent zones | AED 5 | AED 10 | AED 6 | AED 2.50 |
| More than 2 zones | AED 7.50 | AED 15 | AED 8.50 | AED 3.75 |
Based on RTA nol Fares, fetched 21 August 2026.
Dubai Metro timings through the week
Stations open at 05:00 Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, closing at 00:00. Friday runs an hour later to 01:00. Sunday is the odd one out: nothing moves until 08:00, which catches out anyone with an early Sunday flight from Dubai International.
Those are station opening hours rather than departure times. The last train out of a terminus leaves well before the network closes because it still has to run the full length of the line. On a Monday the final Red Line service from Expo 2020 towards centrepoint departs at 22:44, more than an hour before the gates shut, so anyone at the far end of the Route 2020 branch needs the station timetable rather than the network hours.
The tram keeps different hours again, 06:00 to 01:00 Monday to Saturday and from 09:00 on Sunday. Buses run 04:00 to 01:00, with route C01 around the clock.
Frequency is not published as an official table. Trains come every few minutes through the middle of the day and more often at peak, and since 1 September 2025 some peak Red Line services short turn between centrepoint and Al Fardan Exchange rather than running the whole line.
Rules, luggage and fines on the metro
RTA publishes 22 penalties for the metro. A passenger without a valid fare pays AED 200. Food or drink anywhere in a station or on a train costs AED 100, and the same amount applies to sitting in the Women and Children cabin or in Gold Class without paying for it. Alcohol on board is AED 500 and vandalism reaches AED 2,000.
Luggage allowance is one large piece up to 81 × 58 × 30 cm plus one small piece up to 55 × 38 × 20 cm per passenger, which is generous enough for an airport run with a suitcase. Children under 8 cannot travel alone, ages 8 to 11 need a parental permit, and 12 and over ride unaccompanied. The complete penalty list sets out every offence and amount.
The Blue Line and Gold Line ahead
A third line is under construction. The Blue Line runs 30 km with 14 stations to Dubai Creek Harbour, Festival City, Ras Al Khor, International City, Academic City, Mirdif and Al Warqa, and it is due to open on 9 September 2029. It will meet the Green Line at Creek and the Red Line at centrepoint, which turns two quiet ends of the network into interchanges.
A fourth was approved on 22 April 2026. The Gold Line is planned as 42 km entirely underground with 18 stations, from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates by way of Business Bay, Meydan, Al Barsha South and JVC, opening on 9 September 2032. Neither line changes anything about fares today, and the Blue Line page tracks construction progress as RTA reports it.
When Dubai Metro is the wrong choice
The network is a spine, not a web. It follows Sheikh Zayed Road and the old city, so anywhere inland is a bus or taxi ride from the nearest station: Jumeirah, Al Quoz, Mirdif, Arabian Ranches and most of Al Barsha South have no station at all until the Blue and Gold Lines arrive. Add the walk at both ends and a 10 km cross city trip can lose to a taxi on time even though it wins on cost.
Sunday mornings are the other trap. Nothing runs before 08:00, so an 07:00 flight out of Dubai International needs another plan. Summer changes the maths too, because a station that looks close on the map can be a 12 minute walk in 45 degree heat with no shade.
Keep reading
NOL Card Balance Check Online 2026: RTA Dubai
Check your NOL card balance with the 10 digit tag ID, then open the official RTA page. Minimum balance AED 7.50, every method, updated August 2026.
NOL Fare Calculator 2026: Dubai Metro, Bus, Tram
Work out any Dubai Metro, bus or tram fare by zone and card type: Silver AED 3 to 7.50, Gold double, Red Ticket, concessions. Updated August 2026.
NOL Card and Dubai Metro Questions and Answers
Straight answers on NOL balance checks, tag IDs, fares, zones, passes, refunds, lost cards, expiry and how our calculators are tested against RTA.
Frequently asked questions
How many stations does Dubai Metro have?
55 metro stations, 35 on the Red Line including the six Route 2020 branch stops and 20 on the Green Line. With the 11 Dubai Tram stops added, the rail network covers 66 stations.
How much does a Dubai Metro ticket cost?
On a Silver or Blue NOL card, AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two adjacent zones and AED 7.50 beyond that. A Red Ticket costs AED 4 to AED 8.50 per trip, and Gold Class is exactly double the Silver fare.
What time does Dubai Metro start and finish?
Stations open at 05:00 Monday to Thursday and Saturday and close at 00:00. Friday closes at 01:00, and Sunday service does not begin until 08:00. Those hours are when the station gates are open, not when the last train leaves your platform.
Do I need a NOL card to ride Dubai Metro?
Yes. Every gate reads a NOL card or a paper Red Ticket, and there is no cash option at the barrier. The cheapest way in is a Red Ticket at AED 2 plus the fare, and the cheapest per trip is a Silver card at AED 25 with AED 19 of credit included.
Does Dubai Metro go to the airport?
The Red Line calls at Airport Terminal 3 and Airport Terminal 1, both in Zone 5. Terminal 2 has no station and is reached by bus from Stadium or Abu Hail on the Green Line. Luggage is limited to one large and one small piece per passenger.
Where do the Red and Green Lines meet?
At Union and at BurJuman, the only two metro interchanges on the network. The change is inside the paid area at both, so you do not tap out, and we allow 6 minutes for the walk plus an average wait.
Is Dubai Metro free for children?
Children aged 5 or under travel free and need no card. From age 5 upwards a student can hold a Blue card with a 50% concession, paying AED 1.50 to AED 3.75 a trip. People of Determination also travel free.