The Dubai Canal opens this month! And with that comes the opening of new water stations – so you’ll soon be able to hop on a ferry from Business Bay to Dubai Marina.

Remember how we told you that more of us will be travelling by water by 2020? Well it will be happening even sooner, with nine new water ferry and taxi stations opening on Dubai Canal the day after the waterway officially opens this month. 

That’s right, you’ll be able to zip from Jumeirah to Safa Park by boat in a matter of weeks. This also means that a ferry will now link Al Ghubaiba to Marina Mall via Dubai Canal. So yes, you’ll be able to catch the ferry from Business Bay to the Marina or Business Bay to Bastakiya.

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The marine transport service will see nine new stations. Five of those will be along the Canal, with those stations called Sheikh Zayed Road, Safa Park, Al Wasl, Jumeirah and Dubai Canal. Then four of the new stations will be along Business Bay: with these stations called Dubai Design District, Al Wajeha, Al Maeyah, Marasi and Business Bay. The opening of these will raise the number of marine transport stations in the UAE to 42.

“The service will be available on demand… from 10 am to 10 pm in all new stations,” explained H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, the Chairman of the RTA.

“There will be three newly scheduled two-way daily services for the Dubai Ferry from Al Jaddaf Station calling at Dubai Design District, Al Wajeha Al Maeyah, and Marasi stations in the Business Bay; and the Sheikh Zayed Road and the Dubai Canal stations in the Dubai Water Canal. The services will start at 10 am, 12 midday and 05:30 pm. The current line of the Dubai Ferry shuttling between Al Ghubaiba Station and Marina Mall Station will be modified to call at the Dubai Canal Station. Thus, the Dubai Canal Station will link between Al Ghubaiba, Marina Mall, Business Bay and Al Jaddaf. Due attention has been given to the integration of other transit modes (buses, trains and taxis) in order to provide a smooth and safe service for commuters,” he explained.

What about fares?

The tourist class Dubai Ferry will cost Dhs15 to one station, Dhs25 to two stations, Dhs35 to three stations, Dhs45 to 4 stations, and Dhs50 over the entire line. The fare of the gold class will be Dhs25 to one station, Dhs35 to two stations, Dhs50 to three stations, Dhs60 to 4 stations, and Dhs75 over the entire line. The fare of the Water Taxi will range from Dhs55 to Dhs205, and the cost of charting a whole Water Taxi for one-hour is Dhs400.

What else is new?

Well, while not super new, remember the RTA has added a bunch more marine transport stations recently, including tourist abras at the Dubai Mall Lake, Global Village, Atlantis and Mamzar Beach.

They have also recently opened the Al Jaddaf marine station, and rolled out the air-conditioned ‘traditional’ abra to take you around the area near Festival City and Ras Al Khor.

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Photos: Dubai Media Office/RTA