By Andy Sambidge   www.arabianbusiness.com
Dubai’s new Metro will not be open to the general public on September 9, it was reported on Monday.
“There will be an official launch on September 9 but the Metro will be opened to the public only on September 10 from 6am,” said a senior official at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority in comments published by UAE daily Gulf News.
Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will inaugurate the Metro operations on September 9 with the launch ceremony being held at Mall of the Emirates, the paper added.
After the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammad, along with other dignitaries, VIPs and invited guests will ride the first train from Mall of the Emirates station to Al Rashidiya station.
There will be ceremonies at selected stations which will be visited by Dubai’s ruler.
Last week, it was revealed that the cost of building Dubai’s long-awaited metro system was expected to rise by 75 percent to $7.6bn since the contracts were awarded four years ago.
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.
The Dubai Government has guaranteed the financing of the project, RTA chairman Mattar Al Tayer said.
