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The current population in the city of Dubai is 863,000 and predicted to rise up to 3 million by 2020.

News update 18 March 2004 (from IRJ - International Railway Journal):

Dubai Light Metro Gets Green Light

THE go-ahead was given last month for construction of the Dirham 14.3 billion ($US 3.9 billion) 69.2km two-line, fully-automatic light metro in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It will open in two phases---the first in 2009 and the second about three years later. Tenders close in June and construction work is due to start in October 2005. The 50km Red Line will link Rashidiya in the northeast and Jebel Ali Port in the southwest. Just over 45km of the line will be elevated with the rest underground in the heart of the city.

The 19.2km Green Line will serve the old city and areas on the eastern side of Dubai Creek, including two terminals at Dubai International Airport. It too will run underground in the city centre. All stations will have platform screen doors. Transfer stations between the two lines will be located at Al Ittihad Square and the Bur Juman mall.

Services will be operated by a fleet of 99 five-car trains each seating 400 passengers. A choice has yet to be made between steel wheels and rubber tyres. Each train will include first-class accommodation and private sections for women and children. Electronic passenger information screens will display train journey and other information. The control system will allow two-minute headways. The Red Line is designed to cater for 27,000 passengers/h and the Green Line, 18,000 passengers/h. According to Mr Nasser Ahmed Saeed, general coordinator for the Dubai Rail Project, the fully-operational system will carry about 1.2 million passengers each working day with an annual total of about 355 million. An integrated smart card ticketing system will be introduced, and some bus stops, taxi stations, and park-and-ride facilities will be relocated to complement the metro. Saeed added that the estimated annual operating costs of Dirham 570 million would be "easily met" through fares and advertising revenue.

 Projects

- Construction to begin in 2005, first section to be completed by Sept 2009. The driverless trains consist of 5 car sets offering a separate first class compartment and section for women and children.

- Red Line: 52.1 km (4.7 km underground) - 29 stations (24 elevated, 4 underground and 1 at ground-level)

- Green Line: 22.5 km (7.9 km underground) - 18 stations (12 elevated and 6 underground)

The Red Line and the Green Line will intersect twice, at Union Square and at BurJuman Centre.

The second stage of the metro project includes two more lines and extensions to the Red Line:

- Blue Line:

- Purple Line: 49 km with only 8 stations, it will function as an express link between Dubai International Airport and Jebel Ali International Airport. Construction is to start in early 2009 for completion in 2012.

Planned fare: 2.75 dirkham

Dubai Metro

Project and Construction updates (GulfNews)

Dubai Metro on Wikipedia