Dubai Metro News
The Dubai Metro news worth knowing in 2026 starts with one number: 136.5 million riders in the first six months of the year, 39.2 per cent of every trip taken on RTA's network. Behind that sit an approved third line, a fourth under construction, and a payment system rebuild that is 72 per cent done. Fares and opening hours, by contrast, have not moved at all.
Dubai Metro ridership in 2026 so far
136.5 million people rode the metro between January and June 2026, according to the Dubai Media Office release of 2 August 2026. The metro accounted for 39.2 per cent of all public transport trips in Dubai over those six months.
Full year figures for 2025 give the baseline: 294.7 million metro riders, up 7 per cent on 2024, alongside 197.2 million bus riders and 9.9 million on the tram, out of 802 million trips across the whole network. The first half of 2026 came in a little under half of that annual total, and the two halves of a year are not directly comparable, because visitor numbers here are seasonal.
The station rankings barely move from year to year. BurJuman was the busiest station in 2025 at 17.8 million riders and held first place in the first half of 2026 with 8.4 million. Union and Al Rigga swapped second and third places between the two periods, which is what you would expect from three stations that all sit on the interchange spine through Deira and Bur Dubai.
| Measure | 2025 full year | First half of 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Metro riders | 294.7 million | 136.5 million |
| Share of all RTA trips | 36.7 per cent, our arithmetic | 39.2 per cent, as published |
| Busiest station | BurJuman, 17.8 million | BurJuman, 8.4 million |
| Next two | Al Rigga 13.8 M, Union 13.6 M | Union 6.5 M, Al Rigga 6.4 M |
Dubai Media Office releases of 15 February 2026 and 2 August 2026.
The NOL system rebuild reached 72 per cent
RTA's account based ticketing programme, budgeted at AED 550 million, was reported 72 per cent complete on 5 July 2026, with the remaining phases due by the end of the first quarter of 2027. It is the biggest change to how you pay for a trip since the NOL card replaced paper tickets.
Three things arrive with it: QR tickets bought on a phone, tap to ride with a bank card or a phone wallet, and NOL cards linked to an account rather than to a chip that holds the money. The last of those is the one that changes balance checking, because a balance held in an account can be read anywhere rather than only at a gate.
Nothing has been switched off. Your current card, its tag ID and every top up channel work exactly as before. The upgrade is covered in detail here, including what happens to cards already in wallets.
A line approved and a line under construction
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid approved the Gold Line on 22 April 2026: 42 km, 18 stations, AED 34 billion, entirely underground from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates by way of Business Bay and Meydan. The target date is 9 September 2032. The route and what it serves are set out on its own page.
The Blue Line is further along. Gulf News reported construction at 12 per cent in December 2025, after the Dubai Media Office gave 10 per cent a month earlier, and RTA is aiming for 30 per cent by the end of 2026. That line opens on 9 September 2029 with 14 stations across 30 km, reaching International City, Mirdif and Academic City.
Both projects add to a network that has not grown since Route 2020 opened to Expo in 2021. Blue Line progress is the number to watch over the next two years, because it is the one that will change how the eastern suburbs travel.
Station names and service patterns that changed
Sponsorship renames ran through 2025. GGICO became Al Garhoud on 14 April 2025, Al Khail became Al Fardan Exchange on 1 April 2025, UAE Exchange became Life Pharmacy on 5 May 2025, and Jabal Ali became National Paints on 1 July 2025. Signage, announcements and apps caught up at different speeds, which is why old names still show in some third party tools.
There was a service change too. Since 1 September 2025 some peak Red Line trains short turn between Centrepoint and Al Fardan Exchange rather than running the full line, adding capacity across the busy middle section. If you board at the far end at peak, check the destination on the front of the train.
The station list here carries current names with the old ones alongside, which saves a lot of confusion when an address still refers to Al Karama or Noor Bank.
What has not changed in 2026
Fares are the same. A Silver card still pays AED 3 inside one zone, AED 5 across two and AED 7.50 beyond that, with Gold Class at double. There has been no tariff revision, and the daily cap of AED 20 on a Silver card still traces back to RTA's 2014 revision rather than to anything published since.
Hours are unchanged as well, including the 08:00 Sunday start that catches out early arrivals. Ramadan brought no change to metro or tram hours for the second year running.
The one thing that did move recently was top up minimums: ticket vending machines went from AED 5 to AED 20 on 1 March 2025 and metro ticket offices sit at AED 50. The app still takes AED 5, which is the cheapest way to add a small amount.
How to read Dubai Metro news
Every figure on this page carries a date and a named source, because transport numbers age badly and get copied without either. Ridership comes from Dubai Media Office releases, project progress from those releases and from Gulf News, and fares from RTA's own fares page. Where a number is our arithmetic on published figures rather than a published figure, the table says so.
Treat fare rise stories with particular care. RTA has not revised the tariff since 2014, and the daily cap that circulates widely comes from that same revision. Anything claiming a 2026 fare change should be traceable to an RTA page, and so far none of them is.
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 people use the Dubai Metro?
136.5 million riders in the first half of 2026 and 294.7 million across 2025, according to Dubai Media Office releases. That was 39.2 per cent of all public transport trips in Dubai in the 2026 period.
What is the busiest Dubai Metro station?
BurJuman, with 17.8 million riders in 2025 and 8.4 million in the first half of 2026. Union and Al Rigga follow it, each on the same central stretch of the network.
Have Dubai Metro fares gone up in 2026?
No. The zone table is unchanged: AED 3, AED 5 and AED 7.50 on a Silver card. RTA's last tariff revision was in 2014.
What is the nol account based ticketing upgrade?
An AED 550 million rebuild of the payment system, 72 per cent complete as of July 2026 and due to finish by the end of the first quarter of 2027. It adds QR tickets, bank card tap to ride and account linked NOL cards.
When does the next Dubai Metro line open?
The Blue Line on 9 September 2029, then the Gold Line on 9 September 2032. The Gold Line was approved on 22 April 2026.
Which Dubai Metro stations were renamed recently?
Al Garhoud in April 2025, Al Fardan Exchange in April 2025, Life Pharmacy in May 2025 and National Paints in July 2025. The names they replaced, GGICO, Al Khail, UAE Exchange and Jabal Ali, still appear in some apps and addresses.
Did Dubai Metro timings change this year?
No. The network runs 05:00 to 00:00 most days, until 01:00 on Friday and from 08:00 on Sunday, with extended hours announced for Eid.