The Dubai Metro Expo 2020 extension. Jebel Ali to Al Furjan.

3 years after I started documenting the construction of the Dubai Metro driverless train, the Expo2020 line opened on January 1st.

The journey between Jebel Ali and Al Furjan takes about six minutes and frequency will be 10 minutes at a rate of six trains per hour, with the route serving 4,176 riders per hour per direction. From Jebel Ali I can change to the main line and access the Marina, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and the Airport within 10-40 minutes, or 5 mins towards Abu Dhabi for Ibn Battuta Mall. I can also access bus routes from the metro stations to the malls, medical centres, beauty salons, supermarkets as well as the beach, tourist attractions, the canal and ferry terminals and Old Dubai, the Creek and the Souks. Pretty much ALL of Dubai.

I prefer travelling by public transport, you see so much more interesting places to just stop off at get a great view of the ever changing city, meet some interesting people and best of all, it costs less than £1 to travel the length of the line in one go.

January 2018

January 2019

January 2020

January 2021

Looking back at where I've been taking my photographs from.

Inside Al Furjan Station

Come ride the Metro with me

    

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Balcony View in Dubai - Spot the difference.

Same time of year, 2 years apart, different times of day and different cameras used.

December 2018 

December 2020

The street has now doubled in length and most of the houses occupied and there's a new apartment block in the background.

Dubai 2020 Metro extension - Al Furjan. Before and After.

Another game of spot the difference from Dubai. 

Photos taken 17 months apart and the new metro line through Discovery Gardens and Al Furjan opens later this month.

The metro is fully automated, no driver. The track extension runs from Nakheel (near the Marina) to the Expo 2020 site, which has been postponed until next year, due to covid. This is one of 7 stations on the 15km extension which will eventually link up to Al Maktoum airport. 11km elevated above the ground and 4km underground.

April 2018

September 2020

 

My ever changing view from the balcony in Dubai

This was the view from the garden in January 2018.

The top photo was taken from the balcony August 2018

This photo was taken August 2020

As the crow flies from our balcony:

Metro station is 600 meters

The new building is 5.13 kms

The Dubai Eye Wheel is 6 kms

I've been documenting the construction of buildings in Dubai and construction projects around the world as well as photographing and research unusual building designs. 

You can see more photos of other building projects by clicking here Construction Photography

Then and Now Al Furjan Community

I flew back to Dubai this week. I've been in the UK since the end of May, I'll be back the start of October for our final wedding of the year. I'm only in Dubai for 2 weeks as I'm visiting our old home in South Africa. I didn't get the chance to visit last year after the sudden death of my father and I'm very much looking forward to catching up with my friends, reconnecting with the charities I worked with and hopefully a safari or two. 

I'll be continuing my before and after photo's in both Dubai and South Africa. It will be interesting to see how much has changed in the past 2 years, although I doubt it will be as dramatic as the changes over the past 3 months in Dubai.

The top photo in each picture was taken prior to June 2018, the bottom one in each set was taken September 2018. You'll see some really big changes in some of the photo's, in others, not much has altered in the 3 months I've been away.

Looking down from our house

 Construction of the new road system

 Looking out from the end of our street

 The new metro system as viewed from our balcony

The other metro station only 600ms away

In the meantime if you're interested in any of the construction projects I've been documenting around the world, mainly in Dubai, do click on the links below:

Week 158 Dubai Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 Dubai New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Arizona and Nevada Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Dubai Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Coventry Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 Dubai New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai The new extension of the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 
Week 170 Dubai Hotel fire After the Address fire 
Week 171 Dubai Unusual designs The Opus Building
Week 172 Dubai District Cooling. Keeping the desert cool.
Week 173 Dubai Can I visit the Burj Al Arab
Week 174 Dubai The Almas Tower
Week 175 Dubai The Cayan Tower
Week 176 Toronto The CN Tower
Week 177 Nevada The Paris Hotel 
Week 178 Dubai Ibn Battuta Gate
Week 179 A Wedding
Week 180 Dubai The World's Tallest Tower
Week 181 Dubai and Wales Al Fahidi Fort and Chepstow Castle 
Week 182 Dubai New Metro Station in Al Furjan 
Week 183 Dubai Ski Dubai
Week 184 Another Wedding
Week 185 South Africa Life in a township
Week 186 Austria Ski Jump 
Week 187 Dubai Green Plant Bio Dome 
Week 188 Dubai Update on the Metro Station
Week 189 Dubai My view from the balcony changed in 8 months
Week 190 Greece Just how instagramable is it?

Dubai Metro Station Al Furjan.

This is one of the two new Metro stations being built in Al Furjan where we live in Dubai. It's the new line for the 2020 expo and will be opened in January 2019.

I started photographing the progress of the metro line in November 2018 when we moved to the area. It's unbelievable the speed at which they build over there. The construction of the station started in March 2018.

 March 2018

 April 2018

 May 2018

 June 2018

Peter took the last photo for me yesterday, while I'm in the UK, I suspect by the time I return it will be complete.

I've been documenting various construction projects in Dubai since we moved there in 2014 and have included unusual building designs and other places of interest we've visited around the world.

Week 158 Dubai Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 Dubai New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Arizona and Nevada Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Dubai Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Coventry Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 Dubai New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai The new extension of the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 
Week 170 Dubai Hotel fire After the Address fire 
Week 171 Dubai Unusual designs The Opus Building
Week 172 Dubai District Cooling. Keeping the desert cool.
Week 173 Dubai Can I visit the Burj Al Arab
Week 174 Dubai The Almas Tower
Week 175 Dubai The Cayan Tower
Week 176 Toronto The CN Tower
Week 177 Nevada The Paris Hotel 
Week 178 Dubai Ibn Battuta Gate
Week 179 A Wedding
Week 180 Dubai The World's Tallest Tower
Week 181 Dubai and Wales Al Fahidi Fort and Chepstow Castle