Dubai is preparing to have one of its busiest evenings of the year when the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) presents a detailed transport and traffic plan during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. The Dubai Metro will be running around the clock to serve the massive human traffic of visitors projected around the area of Downtown Dubai and other major event areas in the city, with a gradual road blockage being undertaken to maintain traffic safety and free flow throughout the city.
The Red and Green Lines of the Dubai Metro shall operate 24 hours, starting at 5 am on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, till 11.59 pm on Thursday, January 1, 2026. The Dubai Tram will continue its services as well and will run from 6 am on December 31 until 1 am on Friday, January 2, and it will provide residents and visitors with several means of transport during the celebrations.
Hussain Al Banna, who is the CEO of the Traffic and Roads Authority at RTA, assured that the authority is well equipped to control traffic flow and operations of the public transport, especially in the peak densities like Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai. Close liaisons have been made with the Events Security Committee and other strategic partners to ensure that peak demand is dealt with safely and efficiently.
Road closures in key event areas will start at 4 pm on New Year’s Eve to avoid congestion and the movement of crowds into the park. Some of the affected roads are Al Asayel Street, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Burj Khalifa Street, Lower and Upper Financial Centre Roads, Al Mustaqbal Street, Al Sukook Street, and parts of Sheikh Zayed Road. The traffic lights along these routes will be controlled centrally, and smart variable message boards will be used, which will give real-time information on the routes and closures. The safety of pedestrians will also be enhanced during the event.
Real-time monitoring of transport operations and traffic conditions within the Unified Control Centre will be done by the joint teams of RTA, Dubai Police, Civil Defence, and Dubai Ambulance Services. The modern technologies, like the iTraffic system and big data analytics, will be applied to forecast the amount of traffic and make quick operational decisions during the night.
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Al Banna claims that the use of public transport on the New Year’s Eve celebrations keeps increasing, with over 2.5 million passengers in 2025, as compared to 2.29 million in 2024. This year-by-year increase indicates the confidence of the people in the mass transit system and the success of the incorporated strategy of traffic management in Dubai.
To facilitate the extended operations, more than 5,500 RTA personnel will be on the ground, which will be supported by ten control centres and 26 traffic diversion vehicles located at some of the key points. There has also been an increase in the parking capacity around the Downtown Dubai area and about 20,000 parking spaces are in the area of Burj Khalifa. Another 8,000 parking lots will be available at the metro stations, and other overflow parking will be provided at places like Al Wasl Club and Al Kifaf.
The transport systems have also been greatly strengthened to accommodate the event, as over 14,000 taxis, over 18,000 limousines and luxury transport vehicles, and over 1,300 buses are in operation throughout the city. All these are measures that are meant to ensure that people who visit and live in Dubai are able to experience the New Year’s Eve celebrations in the country without any hitches and with minimal inconveniences.