Dubai Metro Timing 2026 | Today's Schedule, Opening Hours & Weekly Timetable

Both metro lines run from 5:00 AM to midnight on Monday to Thursday and Saturday, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Friday, and from 8:00 AM to midnight on Sunday. The metro does not run 24 hours. Trains come every 2 to 4 minutes at peak time and every 5 to 7 minutes the rest of the day.

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Dubai Metro Timing Today | Quick Schedule Overview

Dubai has two metro lines, the Red Line and the Green Line, run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Both follow one shared schedule. That makes the Dubai Metro timing today easy to work out: you only need to know the day of the week, not the line.

Dubai Metro Opening and Closing Times

The network opens at 5:00 AM on every day except Sunday. It closes at midnight on most days and at 1:00 AM after Friday. Here is the full week in one table.

One detail saves a lot of trouble. Closing time is when the final trains finish their runs, not when the last train leaves your station. Gates stop letting new passengers in a little earlier, and most stations see their last departure before the closing hour. I explain this properly in the section on last trains.

Dubai Metro Timings for Today by Day of the Week

Open the table above, find today's day and you have your answer. If today is Tuesday, trains run from 5:00 AM to midnight. If it is Friday, you get an extra hour until 1:00 AM, which makes it the easiest night to get home without a taxi. If it is Sunday, nothing moves before 8:00 AM. That is the whole system for the Dubai Metro timing today, and it is the same on the Red Line and the Green Line.

Where to Check Official Dubai Metro Timing Updates

For anything that affects your plans, go to the source. The RTA publishes the official timetable on rta.ae, including a PDF with the first and last train at every station. The RTA and S'hail app show the same data on your phone, and the RTA call centre answers on 800 9090.

Anyone typing metro Dubai timing into a search bar will find dozens of pages, and not all of them are current. Blogs, including this one, are only as current as their last edit. When a trip depends on the exact minute, such as an airport run, confirm the Dubai Metro timing on the RTA site before you leave.

Dubai Metro Operating Hours: Weekly Timetable

The table in the overview showed the network hours. This section explains what each day feels like in practice, because the numbers alone do not tell you how the week behaves.

Monday to Thursday Metro Timings

From Monday to Thursday, trains run from 5:00 AM until midnight. This is the pattern most commuters live by. Peak crowds build between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM and again between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. For businesses with employees travelling between areas such as Business Bay, DIFC, and Dubai Internet City, reliable transportation planning is essential. A corporate driver service in Dubai can provide a convenient alternative for companies that need professional drivers for employee commutes, business meetings, and daily corporate travel. The metro Dubai timing for these four days remains consistent, which is why regular commuters often stop checking it.

Dubai Metro Timing on Friday

Friday is the longest day of the week. Trains start at 5:00 AM like any other day and keep running until 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. That extra hour covers dinners, cinema nights and late plans, so Friday is the one evening you rarely need a taxi home.

A myth still floats around the internet that the metro opens at 10:00 AM on Fridays. That was true before the January 2022 change to the UAE working week. It is not true now, and any page that repeats it has not been updated in years.

Dubai Metro Timing on Saturday

Saturday runs from 5:00 AM to midnight, so the metro Dubai timing on a Saturday matches a normal weekday. There is no late start. Residents heading to Dubai Mall, the beaches or Deira on a Saturday morning can plan around the same early first trains they use during the week.

Dubai Metro Timing on Sunday

Sunday is the odd one out, and the Dubai Metro timing on Sunday is 8:00 AM to midnight. The network opens at 8:00 AM, three hours later than the rest of the week, and closes at midnight. On a Sunday, the first train from Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall towards Centrepoint leaves at 8:06 AM. If you have a 6:00 AM flight or an early shift, the metro cannot take you there, so book a taxi or a ride-hailing car the night before. For a more convenient and reliable travel option, you can also consider a weekly driver service in Dubai, especially if you need regular transportation for work or personal commitments.

Dubai Metro Red Line Timings

The Red Line is the long one. It runs roughly 67 kilometres, with 35 stations from Centrepoint in Rashidiya, through the airport and Downtown, down to Expo 2020 and Life Pharmacy near Jebel Ali. The Metro timing Dubai residents rely on most for commuting is the Red Line, since it links Deira, Downtown, Dubai Marina and the airport.

Red Line Operating Hours and Train Frequency

Network hours are the same as above: 5:00 AM to midnight on most days, 1:00 AM on Friday and 8:00 AM to midnight on Sunday. Trains arrive every 2 to 4 minutes at peak and every 5 to 7 minutes off-peak. The metro timing Dubai riders care about during the day is that gap between trains, not a printed departure time. At worst you wait about seven minutes.

First and Last Red Line Train Timings

Here is the part most guides skip. The last train from your station is not the same as the closing time of the network. On a normal weeknight, the earliest last departure on the Red Line is 10:44 PM from Expo 2020 towards Centrepoint, and the latest is 12:03 AM from Emirates station. That is a gap of nearly an hour and a half, and it decides whether you ride or pay for a cab.

Major Red Line Stations and Their Timings

These are Monday to Thursday times from the RTA timetable. Times after midnight are marked AM.

Two quick notes. The station formerly called ONPASSIVE was renamed Garmin on 7 September 2026, so older maps and screenshots may show the previous name. And Union and BurJuman are the two interchange stations where the Red and Green Lines meet.

Dubai Metro Green Line Timings

The Green Line is shorter, around 22.5 kilometres with 20 stations, and it serves the older parts of Dubai: Al Qusais, Al Nahda, Baniyas Square, Gold Souq and Creek. If you are visiting the souqs or heading to Dubai Healthcare City, this is your line.

Green Line Operating Hours and Train Frequency

The Dubai Metro timing for the Green Line matches the Red Line exactly. There is no separate Green Line schedule, despite what some websites claim. A common rumour says the Green Line starts at 5:30 AM. It does not. It starts at 5:00 AM, or 8:00 AM on Sunday.

First and Last Green Line Train Timings

On the Green Line, first trains leave from several points at the same moment, so most stations get a train within minutes of opening. For last trains, the range is smaller than on the Red Line. On a normal weeknight they run from 11:23 PM at e& to 12:02 AM at Al Qusais towards e&.

Major Green Line Stations and Their Timings

Monday to Thursday times, again from the RTA timetable:

First and Last Dubai Metro Train Timings

If you only remember one habit from this guide, make it this one: check your own station, in your own direction, not the network hours.

What Time Does the First Metro Train Start?

The network opens at 5:00 AM, or 8:00 AM on Sunday, and every station gets its first train within about twenty minutes of that. From Monday to Saturday, the first train from Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall towards Centrepoint is 5:11 AM, and from Airport Terminal 3 it is 5:08 AM. For the Dubai Metro timing on Sunday, add three hours to every first-train time here. Anyone checking metro timing Dubai wide for an early flight should plan to arrive at the station about thirty minutes before the first train they need.

What Time Does the Last Metro Train Leave?

The metro Dubai timing that matters at midnight is not the network closing hour but your own station's last departure. Last departures differ by station and direction. On a weeknight, Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall has its last train towards Centrepoint at 11:35 PM, while Airport Terminal 3 is at 12:02 AM. On Friday the same trains leave about an hour later: 12:35 AM from Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall and 1:02 AM from Terminal My safe rule is simple. Be inside the paid area 15 minutes before the closing hour. If your journey needs a change at Union or BurJuman, give yourself 30 minutes, because the second line's last train may leave before yours arrives.

How to Find the First and Last Train at Your Station

Use the RTA timetable page or the S'hail app. Pick the day, the line, the direction and your station, and it shows both times. You can also open the RTA PDF with every station listed. It takes under a minute and it is the single most useful habit for anyone who rides late at night.

Dubai Metro Timings During Public Holidays and Special Events

Holiday metro Dubai timing changes more than any other part of the schedule. The metro runs on every public holiday. The RTA often extends hours for big occasions, announced a few days ahead, so treat extended hours as announcements, not guarantees.

Dubai Metro Timings on Eid and Public Holidays

During the Eid Al Fitr break in March 2026, the RTA extended both lines to 1:00 AM, and it published revised hours for Eid Al Adha as well. National Day follows the same pattern. Check the RTA channels two or three days before any long weekend, since the schedule can change from year to year.

Dubai Metro Timings During New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is the busiest night of the year. For the 2025 to 2026 celebrations, the RTA ran continuous service on both lines for 43 hours, from 5:00 AM on Wednesday 31 December until midnight on Friday 2 January. Expect heavy crowd control at Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall from the early evening, and arrive early. The RTA announces each year's plan separately, so look for the new announcement in December.

Dubai Metro Timings During Ramadan

In Ramadan 2026, the metro kept its normal hours: 5:00 AM to midnight from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Friday, and 8:00 AM to midnight on Sunday. The tram ran 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM from Monday to Saturday. The RTA announces Ramadan hours shortly before the holy month starts, so the next schedule will appear in the weeks before Ramadan 2027.

How Special Events Can Affect Metro Schedules

Events can change opening times even on a quiet day. On Sunday 1 February 2026, the RTA opened both lines at 5:00 AM instead of the usual 8:00 AM so runners and spectators could reach the Dubai Marathon. Concerts, marathons and big matches are the usual reasons. If something large is happening in the city, look at the RTA feed first.

Dubai Metro Peak Hours and Train Frequency

Morning and Evening Rush Hours

Peak hours change the metro timing Dubai commuters actually feel, even though the schedule stays the same. Weekday peak hours are 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The busiest stretch is the central Red Line between BurJuman and Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, where trains fill completely. At stations like BurJuman, it is normal to let one packed train go and board the next.

How Often Do Dubai Metro Trains Arrive?

Best Times to Avoid Crowded Metro Trains

Leaving just ten minutes earlier makes a real difference. Boarding at 6:50 AM instead of 7:05 AM often means a seat instead of a squeeze. Mid-morning, early afternoon and Saturday mornings are quiet. The Gold Class cabin is also worth a look at rush hour if you want space, and part of every train is reserved for women and children, so check the cabin markings before you sit.

Dubai Tram Timings vs Dubai Metro Timings

Dubai Tram Operating Hours

The Dubai Tram has its own schedule. It runs from 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM from Monday to Saturday, and from 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM on Sunday.

Key Differences Between Metro and Tram Schedules

The tram starts an hour later than the metro on weekdays, and it runs until 1:00 AM every night, including Saturday, when the metro closes at midnight. It serves Dubai Marina, JBR and Al Sufouh, and you reach it from the Red Line by footbridge at Sobha Realty and DMCC. The practical lesson: a late metro into DMCC does not guarantee a tram onward to JBR, so a short taxi may be needed. A tram leg can quietly change your metro timing Dubai plans for any Marina trip, so always check both timetables for a trip that uses both.

Essential Tips for Travelling on Time

How to Check Live Metro Timings and Service Updates

The RTA site and S'hail app show service status and engineering notices. On a day with engineering work, the Dubai Metro timing today can differ from the printed table, so look at the app. Live status matters more than the printed metro timing Dubai publishes in a PDF. The timetable is schedule-based, so if a train is delayed or a station is closed, the app is where you will see it first.

Plan Your Journey Using the RTA or S'hail App

Enter your start and end points and the app builds the route, shows the interchange and estimates your time. For airport trips, I always pick a train one slot earlier than the app suggests. A missed check-in costs far more than seven minutes on a platform.

Allow Extra Time for Transfers and Station Exits

Big stations take longer than you expect. Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall has a long walkway to Dubai Mall, and Union and BurJuman need a few minutes between platforms. Add five to ten minutes for exits and ten for a change, and for the Dubai Metro timing on Sunday morning add the late 8:00 AM start to your plan.

Important Dubai Metro Rules and Baggage Guidelines

You cannot eat or drink on the metro, not even water, and the fine starts at AED 100. You need a Nol card, and a Silver card costs AED 25 with AED 19 of travel credit. Fares range from AED 3 to AED 7.50 depending on the zones you cross. Remember to tap in and tap out, or the system charges the maximum fare. For luggage, the RTA allows two suitcases per passenger, one large up to 81 x 58 x 30 cm and one small up to 55 x 38 x 20 cm. E-scooters are not allowed on board.