Board the Green Line towards Creek and ride nine stops to Union. Change across the platform to the Red Line towards Life Pharmacy or Expo 2020, with no need to tap your Nol card again, then ride ten stops to Mall of the Emirates.
20 stops, 1 change at Union. The line colour shows which train you are on at each point.
For one or two people, the Metro wins on cost and predictability. For a family with luggage, or in a hurry, a taxi is door to door and skips the walk.
| Option | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | AED 7.5 (Silver Nol) | ~50 min | Cheapest, no traffic |
| Taxi | AED 71 to 104 | 27 to 40 min | Door to door, luggage, families |
This is one of the classic cross-city trips: the Green Line northern terminus to the Red Line west end, with a cross-platform change at Union in the middle. Nine stops on the Green Line, one platform change, then ten stops on the Red Line. Board at the back of the Green Line train at Etisalat by e& so you are closest to the cross-platform on arrival at Union.
Mall of the Emirates station sits next to the mall on the upper level, with a covered air-conditioned link straight into the mall and Ski Dubai about 140 metres from the platform.
For more on the area around Mall of the Emirates, what is close by and worth a stop, see the Mall of the Emirates station guide.
Mall of the Emirates is home to Ski Dubai. Pre-book day passes or lessons for winter weekends to skip the door queue.
Yes, once. Take the Green Line from Etisalat by e& (G11) nine stops south to Union (G20), then change across the platform to the Red Line towards Life Pharmacy or Expo 2020, and ride ten stops to Mall of the Emirates (R32). The change is on the same level, no second Nol card tap.
The trip crosses the maximum three fare zones, so the fare lands in the top Nol band. On a Silver Nol card it is AED 7.50, on a Gold Nol card AED 15, on a Blue personal card AED 7.50, and on a single-use Red ticket AED 8.50 plus AED 2 to buy the ticket itself.
About 50 minutes from platform to platform, including the cross-platform change at Union and the short waits between stations. The covered walk from Mall of the Emirates station into the mall adds another five to seven minutes.
Yes. Union is the busiest interchange on the network and the platforms are aligned so the change between Green and Red is across the platform on the same level. No second tap, no second fare.
Yes. Etisalat by e& has lifts to and from the platform, Union is fully step-free, and Mall of the Emirates has direct lift access to the mall level. Given the length of the trip, board at the ends of the platforms to be closest to the exits.
Yes, much cheaper on the Metro. A taxi from Etisalat by e& to Mall of the Emirates is around AED 71 to 104 and 27 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, against AED 7.50 on the Metro.
Weekday morning peak southbound on the Green Line, then the Union interchange during rush hour. Winter weekends are heavy overall. Off-peak weekday afternoons are the most comfortable.
The last southbound train from Etisalat by e& towards Creek runs about 12:22 AM Sunday to Wednesday and 12:23 AM Thursday to Saturday. From Union, the last Red Line train towards Expo 2020 runs around 11:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and just past midnight on Friday.