World Trade Centre Metro Station Overview
World Trade Centre is a Red Line station in Zone 6, on Sheikh Zayed Road. It is station R22, between Max on the north side and Emirates Towers on the south side.
The station feeds straight into the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) exhibition complex by a covered link, with no street crossing needed. During the major exhibition season from September to March, the Metro is the recommended access for attendees: the trade-centre car parks fill before mid-morning and the Sheikh Zayed Road traffic at this stretch is heavy from 8:00 AM.
First and last train from World Trade Centre Station
These times come from the official RTA timetable. For the exact minute on the day you travel, the RTA S'hail app is the live source.
| Direction | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|
| To Centrepoint | 5:02 AM daily | 12:40 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 12:39 AM (Thu, Fri) 12:37 AM (Sat) |
| To Expo 2020 | 5:01 AM (Mon to Sat) 7:59 AM (Sun) | 11:40 PM (Mon to Wed) 11:37 PM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 12:41 AM (Fri) |
| To Life Pharmacy | 5:12 AM (Mon to Sat) 8:05 AM (Sun) | 11:36 PM (Mon to Wed) 11:41 PM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 12:37 AM (Fri) |
Book a Dubai Frame visit
The Dubai Frame sits in Za'abeel Park, a short ride from World Trade Centre via Max station. Pre-booking saves the at-gate queue at peak hours.
World Trade Centre Station opening hours and facilities
World Trade Centre station keeps the standard RTA opening hours, the same right across the network:
- Monday to Thursday: 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM
- Friday: 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM
- Saturday: 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM
- Sunday: 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM
World Trade Centre has the standard Dubai Metro facilities, confirmed in the official RTA passenger guide. The station is step-free, with lifts to all levels, tactile guidance paths, and dedicated wheelchair spaces on every train. Nol card machines and a ticket counter sit inside the concourse, alongside bilingual signage and information screens. Du Wi-Fi covers the network.
Every regular train carries three cabin types: Gold Class at one end, a Women and Children cabin with pink signage, and Standard cabins. Door pictograms on the platform show where each cabin stops. The station has at least one bus connection, dedicated Metro Police, CCTV throughout, and emergency call points on every platform and train.
On the big exhibition days for GITEX, Gulfood, Arab Health and Cityscape, the trains southbound from Union are full from about 8:30 AM. Boarding at the front of the train and using the south end of the platform at World Trade Centre puts you closest to the DWTC link, which saves you about three minutes against the longer concourse walk from the centre of the platform.
The original Trade Centre tower
The Dubai World Trade Centre tower, the original 39-storey block next to today’s halls, opened on 26 February 1979 as the tallest building in the Middle East at the time, inaugurated by the late Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to the UAE. It was the first project of the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority and was conceived by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum as a base for international trade companies entering the Gulf. For more than a decade it stood largely alone on Sheikh Zayed Road, with the surrounding plot mostly desert. The tower carries the AED 100 banknote design and is one of the most-photographed early modern buildings in the city.
The exhibition complex that built around it
The modern exhibition complex, anchored by the Sheikh Rashid Hall and Za’abeel Halls, grew on the same plot from the 1990s onwards and is today the largest exhibition venue in the Middle East. The calendar runs near-continuously from September to March: GITEX in October, Gulfood in February, Arab Health in January, Cityscape Global, and the Dubai International Boat Show among the largest. Khaleej Times reports that GITEX alone draws around 200,000 attendees over its week, and on those days the Metro carries the bulk of the inbound crowd.
A small lap around the area
The DWTC complex sits between Sheikh Zayed Road and the Trade Centre Roundabout, with Za’abeel Park immediately east on the far side of the road. The Dubai Frame in Za’abeel Park is most easily reached by Metro from Max one stop north, not from here, since the Park’s main pedestrian access is closer to Max. The Crowne Plaza Dubai, Towers Rotana and Ibis Trade Centre hotels all sit on the SZR frontage near the station and are convenient for exhibition attendees.
The original World Trade Centre tower, the 39-storey 1979 building, sits next to the modern halls and houses the Free Zone office. It is the small, square, sand-coloured tower next to the bigger glass halls. The Sheikh Rashid Hall and Za'abeel Halls are the main exhibition spaces and are signposted from the station concourse.
Fares from World Trade Centre Station
Fares depend on how many zones your trip crosses, not how many stations you pass. A Silver Nol card costs AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two zones, and AED 7.50 for three or more zones, per the RTA Nol fares page. A personal Blue Nol card pays the same as Silver. Gold Class costs double: AED 6, 10 or 15 across the same bands.
Without a Nol card, the Red ticket is a separate, higher tariff of AED 4, 6 or 8.50 by zone band, and the blank ticket costs AED 2 to buy. Children aged five and under travel free, and travel is free for People of Determination.
| Destination | Stops | Zones | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall | 3 | 1 | AED 3.00 |
| Mall of the Emirates | 7 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Expo 2020 | 19 | 4 | AED 7.50 |
| Airport Terminal 3 | 9 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Union | 4 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
Metro Stations Before and After World Trade Centre Station
- Max (R21): The stop after World Trade Centre on the Red Line going towards Centrepoint
- Emirates Towers (R23): The stop after World Trade Centre on the Red Line going towards Expo 2020
Get a Dubai travel eSIM
A prepaid eSIM gives you data the moment you arrive, useful for the DWTC event app and live exhibition floor plans.