Living in the big construction site - Dubai Metro

In the hope of solving traffic in the growing city of Dubai, the government spends 74 billion dirhams to construct the first railway system in the country. An estimated 9,000 men (mostly laborers from India) are helping to construct the Dubai Metro Project at various locations throughout the city. 

Image of the cars to be used in Dubai Metro. The trains are imported from Japan.

The Dubai Metro will be a driverless, fully automated metro network under construction in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. It is aimed to be one of the most advanced urban rail systems in the world and will be the catalyst for tourism, financial and economic growth.

Computer generated image of one of the train stations

Image of the elevated train

Image of Dubai Metro in Sheikh Zayed Road

The Metro is scheduled to partially open by September 2009 and be fully completed by 2012. But knowing Dubai’s famed reputation in construction completion (endless delays!), I’d say that the deadline to partially open on September 2009 is too optimistic.

So far, here’s what’s stemming out of the desert right now:

As the very popular saying goes, “it will be beautiful when it’s all finished“. Meanwhile, residents are getting wrinkly and older by the minute with traffic stress, diversion road confusion and  relentless construction noise.