With Etihad Rail passenger services from Dubai set to begin on September 30, travellers arriving at Dubai Al Yalayis station will be able to connect to the Dubai Metro Red Line via Jumeirah Golf Estates station and continue to destinations across the city without a car.

Dubai residents will also be able to take the Metro to Jumeirah Golf Estates station, transfer to Al Yalayis station and board trains bound for Abu Dhabi or Fujairah.

A review of Google Maps shows that the two stations are about 1 kilometre apart.

Dedicated pedestrian bridge to connect Etihad Rail and Dubai Metro

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), recently confirmed that a dedicated pedestrian bridge is being built to directly connect Al Yalayis station with Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro station.

Al Tayer said the authority is working with Etihad Rail to make transfers between the UAE’s national railway network and the Dubai Metro easier for passengers.

During an earlier visit to the project site, a reporter observed a long steel-framed structure extending from the Etihad Rail station towards the underground Metro station.

At the time of the visit, work was continuing on the pedestrian link, station access areas and landscaping.

Which areas of Dubai will passengers be able to reach via the Metro Red Line?

Jumeirah Golf Estates station is on the Dubai Metro Red Line, giving Etihad Rail passengers access to some of the city’s main business, tourism and residential districts.

After transferring at the station, passengers can use the Red Line to reach stations serving the following areas:

Dubai Marina
Dubai Internet City
Mall of the Emirates
Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall
Business Bay
Dubai World Trade Centre
Terminals 1 and 3 at Dubai International Airport

In the opposite direction, the Red Line continues towards Dubai Investment Park and Expo 2020.

Passengers will not be limited to the Red Line. They can transfer to the Metro Green Line at Union and BurJuman stations and continue to areas including the Gold Souk, Al Ghubaiba, Dubai Healthcare City and Creek.

Passengers can also connect from the Red Line to the Dubai Tram, which serves areas including Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Media City, Al Sufouh and Palm Jumeirah Tram station.

According to the RTA rail network map, transfers between the Metro and tram are available at Sobha Realty and DMCC stations.

This means journeys for passengers arriving in Dubai on Etihad Rail will not necessarily end at Al Yalayis station. After transferring to Jumeirah Golf Estates, they will be able to reach large parts of the city without a car.

Jumeirah Golf Estates station can handle 250,000 passengers a day

Jumeirah Golf Estates is not a small local station. When it opened in September 2021, the RTA described it as the largest underground station on the Dubai Metro network.

The station covers 28,700 square metres and is designed to handle 11,555 passengers during peak hours and about 250,000 passengers a day.

Transport facilities around the station include 4 bus stops, 20 taxi bays, 400 public parking spaces and 20 parking spaces for people with disabilities.

Future plans to integrate Etihad Rail with Dubai’s transport network

The physical connection between Etihad Rail and the Dubai Metro is part of a broader plan to make end-to-end journeys easier for passengers.

Etihad Rail is exploring solutions that would allow passengers to plan integrated journeys using the national railway, Metro, buses, taxis, ride-hailing services and other first- and last-mile transport options.

Implementing these plans could reduce the number of separate steps required to plan and complete journeys across different transport networks.

Ticketing and fare payment systems could also be integrated.

In 2024, Dubai’s RTA and Etihad Rail signed an agreement under which the RTA would be responsible for developing ticket-booking and fare-payment solutions through the Nol system.

The agreement was described as the first step in cooperation between the two entities.

However, when the agreement was announced, no specific date was given for when Nol cards could be used for Etihad Rail services.