The Blue and Purple lines of the Dubai Metro have both been delayed by the global financial crisis, Mattar Al Tayer, the chairman of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed at the opening of the $7.6bn project.
He told reporters at a press conference late Wednesday that he thought public-private partnerships (PPPs) could be looked at in a bid to raise investments for the two lines which are scheduled to follow the Red and Green lines.
He added that it would take "months and months" for people to get used to the new rail system but insisted the RTA and Serco would run the project efficiently.
The RTA chief said that the smile he saw on Sheikh Mohammed's face had "given us a lot of enthusiasm", after the Dubai ruler had inaugurated the project and taken the train from Mall of the Emirates to Al Rashidiya.
Asked about linking the metro with other emirates, Al Tayer said it was a federal issue and the Dubai Metro was for the city only.
Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA’s executive strategy, added that Salik was one option that could be used to encourage more use of public transport.
Officials revealed that 200,000 cards for travel on the metro had so far been sold.
In the end, not even the biggest economic downturn in recent history could derail Dubai’s efforts to open its metro on 09/09/09.
The automated rail system will be operating at much reduced capacity, with only 10 out of the Red Line’s 29 stations operational on day one.
The stations that will be open to the public on Thursday are: Rashidiya, Airport Terminal 3, Deira City Center, Al Rigga, Union, Khaleed bin Al Waleed, Al Jafiliya, DIFC, Mall of the Emirates and Nakheel Harbour and Tower.
Most stations on the Red Line will be open by February next year, the RTA has said. The opening of the Green Line was recently pushed back to June from March 2010.
The cost of the first urban rail system on the Arabian Peninsula has soared 80 percent to AED28bn ($7.6 bn) from its original budget of AED15.5bn.
Among the reasons for the jump in costs was two extensions of the Green Line, which included five stations and a depot, two stations on the Red Line and a reworked design of all stations and their footbridges.
Officials estimate the metro will carry 27,000 passengers per hour and 355 million passengers a year, once fully operational. Each train can carry up to 643 passengers in five cabins.
A standard ticket will cost between AED2.50 ($0.68) and AED6.50 ($1.80).
Starting on Thursday, the Metro will operate from 6am to midnight, apart from Fridays when operating hours will be 2pm until midnight. Initially, the trains will run at a rate of six per hour, or every ten minutes.
After Ramadan the operating hours will be 6am to 11pm on weekdays and from 2pm on Fridays.
