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Dubai: Hundreds stranded as metro halts operations amidst heavy rains

In the wake of heavy rains pounding the city, convenience stores have also downed their shutters, exacerbating the situation

Published: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 10:24 PM

Updated: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 10:58 PM

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Around 200 commuters have found themselves stranded at Jebel Ali Metro Station without access to amenities for hours, following the suspension of Dubai Metro operations towards Centrepoint. In the wake of heavy rains pounding the city, convenience stores have also downed their shutters, exacerbating the situation.

Mohammad Kashan, who works for a facilities management company, told Khaleej Times he's been stuck on site for eight hours. "There is no clarity on when metro services will resume. Tempers are running high as the Zoom stores are closed and toilets are clogged," Kashan said, sharing pictures showing commuters sitting on escalators, stairs, and floors.

"I came to Jebel Ali for work, hoping to catch the train back home to Bur Dubai, but got stuck. There are no taxis around," Kashan said during a phone call at 9pm. "It looks like we are in for a long haul."

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In a video shared with KT, rainwater is seen gushing down the metro station stairs.

Another stranded commuter highlighted the challenging situation, noting that the metro is plying only towards Expo City, the last station in the opposite direction. He said many frustrated commuters have flocked there in hopes of finding hotel accommodation for the night amidst the ongoing metro disruption.

Meanwhile, at Dubai Mall, difficult scenes unfolded as hundreds were left stranded after metro services were abruptly disrupted at 6pm, with no resumption until 9.15pm. Wasim Baig, who endured a three-hour ordeal, recounted his journey from his office in Business Bay to Deira, only to be forced to disembark at Dubai Mall Metro station. "We waited for hours. There are no taxis, so I am walking down to my place on foot. There are hundreds like me," Baig said.

Khaleej Times reached out to RTA for comment but was redirected to the authority's social media channels for updates. On the X platform, several frustrated commuters asked RTA for updates, to which the team repeatedly responded it is working on resuming services as soon as possible.

There is no word yet on when operations will resume at Jebel Ali and Dubai Mall Metro stations. However, RTA provided some updates about other stations facing operational disruptions. "There is a service disruption between Onpassive and Equiti stations, due to the unstable weather conditions," the authority said on X, adding that bus services have been provided in the affected areas. It also acknowledged a similar disruption from ADCB to UAE Exchange stations, saying they are working to resume operations.

In a tweet the authority also announced that users of the Green Line can expect impact on operations from Abu Hail Station to Gold Souq Station, as this route has been affected. A bus service has been provided to transport passengers at the affected stations.

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