Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced major changes in the marine transit network of Dubai Creek as part of its continues efforts to improve service and convenience.

"The restructuring of marine transport lines and stations of Dubai Creek is part of our strategic plan to fulfill the needs of marine transport users," remarked Mohammed Abubaker Al Hashimi, the director of Marine Transport at RTA’s Public Transport Agency.

"Lines have been increased from one to four, while Al Fahidi and Al Sabkha stations have been added to the existing stations of Al Seef, Baniyas, Dubai Old Souq and Al Ghubaiba," he stated.

Al Hashimi said two new lines have been introduced into the network. "The first line between Al Sabkha (Deira) and Al Fahidi (Bur Dubai) has several service and tourist attractions such as Al Fahidi Museum, Textiles and Spices Souqs and Baniyas Square, while the second line links Al Sabkha and Al Ghubaiba stations to enhance the integration of Al Ghubaiba station," he noted.

"Abras in service have been increased from four to seven to serve the new lines, and the service timing has been geared to the needs and nature of activities in the area. The service frequency of the line linking Al Seef and Baniyas stations has been increased to reduce the waiting time of passengers," said Al Hashimi.

"The restructuring of marine transit lines operating on Dubai Creek is bound to have several deliverables such as increasing the number of services by 15% and shortening the journey time from 30 to 11 minutes, which translates into an improvement rate of about 61%. Accordingly, the ridership is expected to grow by 39%," he added.-TradeArabia News Service