The Dubai Metro runs seven days a week, with the same hours network-wide. Stations open at 5:00 AM Monday to Saturday, run later on Friday nights, and open at 8:00 AM on Sunday. The first trains leave the line termini a minute or two after the station opens, and the last trains run close to midnight on most days, with Friday extending past 1:00 AM.
Operating hours by day
| Day | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 5:00 AM | midnight |
| Friday | 5:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
| Saturday | 5:00 AM | midnight |
| Sunday | 8:00 AM | midnight |
These are STATION open and close hours, not first and last train departures. The first train from a terminus runs a minute or two after opening, and the last train arrives at the far end a little before closing time.
Dubai Metro timings today
All times shown in Dubai local time (GMT+4).
Today's window is set by the day of the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday run the standard 5:00 AM to midnight timetable. Friday closes an hour later at 1:00 AM Saturday morning. Sunday opens three hours later at 8:00 AM. The panel above updates in Dubai local time and shows the current window and closing time. For per-station first and last trains, jump to the Red Line or Green Line tables below.
Metro timings by day of the week
The RTA operates one network-wide timetable, so the hours are the same at every Red and Green Line station on any given day. The direction-specific first and last train times differ by terminus and appear in the tables below.
Monday Metro timings
Stations open at 5:00 AM and close at midnight. The first Red Line train from Centrepoint towards Expo 2020 leaves at 5:02 AM; the last runs at 12:06 AM Tuesday morning. The Green Line first train from Etisalat by e& leaves at 5:01 AM and the last at 12:22 AM.
Tuesday Metro timings
Same as Monday: 5:00 AM to midnight. Trains run at the standard weekday cadence, every few minutes at peak (about 7:00 to 9:30 AM and 5:00 to 7:30 PM) and up to seven minutes off-peak.
Wednesday Metro timings
Same as Monday and Tuesday: 5:00 AM to midnight. Wednesday runs the standard weekday timetable end to end, with no scheduled variation from earlier in the week.
Thursday Metro timings
Same as Monday to Wednesday: 5:00 AM to midnight. Thursday evening peak is often the busiest of the week as the weekend starts and Marina and Downtown fill up. Last trains on Thursday still run at the standard weekday time, so Friday's later close only kicks in on Friday itself.
Friday Metro timings
Friday opens at 5:00 AM and closes at 1:00 AM Saturday morning, an extra hour past midnight. The last train from Centrepoint towards Expo 2020 on Friday night runs at 1:07 AM. Friday is a normal working day in the UAE, so the morning peak is the same as the rest of the week.
Saturday Metro timings
Saturday opens at 5:00 AM and closes at midnight. The last trains from the northern termini run between about 11:52 PM and 12:23 AM. Weekend cadence keeps trains frequent through the afternoon and evening at the Marina, JBR interchange and Downtown stations.
Sunday Metro timings
Sunday is the UAE rest day, so stations open at 8:00 AM — three hours later than the rest of the week. Closing is midnight, the same as every day except Friday. The first train from Centrepoint towards Expo 2020 on a Sunday leaves at 7:32 AM, because the terminus opens a few minutes before the network-wide 8:00 AM window.
First and last train: Red Line
The Red Line has two southern endpoints because the line forks at National Paints (R38): the main route runs to Expo 2020 on the Route 2020 branch, and a short shuttle runs the spur to Life Pharmacy. Trains for both run from Centrepoint at the northern end.
| From | Towards | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centrepoint (R11) | Expo 2020 | 5:02 AM (Mon to Sat) 7:32 AM (Sun) | 12:06 AM (Mon to Wed) 12:03 AM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 1:07 AM (Fri) |
| Centrepoint (R11) | Life Pharmacy | 5:00 AM (Mon to Sat) 7:38 AM (Sun) | 12:02 AM (Mon to Wed) 12:07 AM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 1:03 AM (Fri) |
| Expo 2020 (R76) | Centrepoint | 5:08 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 5:02 AM (Thu, Fri) 5:00 AM (Sat) | 11:48 PM (Mon to Wed, Sat, Sun) 11:49 PM (Thu, Fri) |
| Life Pharmacy (R42) | Centrepoint | 5:00 AM daily | 11:52 PM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 11:51 PM (Thu, Fri) 11:48 PM (Sat) |
First and last train: Green Line
The Green Line runs end to end between Etisalat by e& in the north and Creek in the south, with no branches. It meets the Red Line at Union and BurJuman, where you can change without paying a second fare.
| From | Towards | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etisalat by e& (G11) | Creek | 5:01 AM daily | 12:22 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 12:23 AM (Thu to Sat) |
| Creek (G30) | Etisalat by e& | 5:03 AM daily | 12:23 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 12:25 AM (Thu to Sat) |
How often trains run
Trains come every few minutes at peak times, with longer gaps off-peak and late at night. Peak hours on the Red Line are around 7:00 to 9:30 AM and 5:00 to 7:30 PM, when both lines fill up around the airport, Downtown and Marina stops. Outside those hours the trains are quieter and you can almost always find a seat.
Trains stop at each station for 20 to 30 seconds. The Life Pharmacy branch runs as a shuttle from National Paints, so for that spur you change at National Paints rather than ride straight through. Plan an extra few minutes for the connection if you are heading to Ibn Battuta, Energy, Danube or Life Pharmacy.
When does the last Metro run today?
Last train departure times depend on the day of the week and the direction, but the pattern is:
- Monday to Thursday and Saturday: last trains from the northern termini run between about 11:52 PM and 12:23 AM the following morning. Last trains from the southern ends reach the far end by about midnight.
- Friday: the last train from Centrepoint towards Expo 2020 runs at 1:07 AM Saturday morning. All other Friday last trains fall between about 12:23 AM and 1:03 AM.
- Sunday: last trains match Monday to Thursday at the late end. Sunday's 8:00 AM start does not shift the closing time.
Exact per-station last-train times are in the Red Line and Green Line tables above. For the closing time on the specific day and direction you need right now, the timings today panel gives the current window in Dubai local time, and the RTA S'hail app is authoritative for the exact minute.
Ramadan and public holidays
During the holy month of Ramadan, the RTA usually extends late-night Metro hours and adjusts the schedule around Iftar and Suhoor. The exact times are announced each year close to the start of Ramadan, so check the live RTA sources below before a late-night trip during that month.
On UAE public holidays, the Metro usually runs longer hours. National Day on 2 December, the two Eid holidays and New Year's Eve each tend to see the biggest late-night extensions, with trains running well past the usual last departure. The RTA announces the changes a few days ahead on the S'hail app and on its social media.
What if I miss the last train
If you miss the last Metro, you have three options. The RTA runs a limited overnight bus service (NOC routes) on the main corridors, taking the same Nol card as the Metro. Every Metro station has a taxi rank outside the entrance, and these run around the clock with the meter fare set by trip distance. Careem and Uber both serve the whole city, and they are usually cheapest at the airport and Downtown ranks where supply is highest.
For trips from the airport late at night, the taxi rank at each terminal is the easiest option after the last train. The Airport Terminal 3 station's last train towards Centrepoint runs around 12:58 AM on Saturdays and just past 1:00 AM on weekdays and Friday.
Live sources and updates
For the exact minute on the day you travel, the official RTA website and the S'hail journey planning app are the live sources. We update this page when the RTA changes its standard timetable, but the live app is always the safer bet for a marginal last-train decision.