Dubai
Air
Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB), the hub for the Emirates Airline, serves the city of Dubai and other
emirates in the country. The airport was the 15th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic handling
40.9 million passengers in 2009. The airport was also the 2nd busiest airport in the world by international passenger
traffic. In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport is the 7th busiest cargo airport in world,
handling 1.927 million tonnes of cargo in 2009, a 5.6% increase compared to 2008 and was also the 4th busiest
International freight traffic airport in world. Emirates Airline is the national airline of Dubai. As of 2009, it operated
internationally serving 101 destinations in 61 countries across six continents.
The development of Al Maktoum International Airport (IATA: DWC) was announced in 2004. The first phase of the
airport, featuring one A380 capable runway, 64 remote stands, one cargo terminal with annual capacity for 250,000
tonnes of cargo and a passenger terminal building designed to accommodate five million passengers per year, has
been opened. When completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will be the largest airport in the
world with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tons of
cargo.
In 2014, it emerged that an American contractor, ARINC (now owned by Rockwell Collins) claims that it has not
been paid for work performed at Terminal 3, and that it is owed some US $70 million stemming from a 2007 debt.
Ahmed Bin Jassim, personal assistant to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, told
an American journalist he had not heard of ARINC. [41]
Metro rail
A $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project is currently operational. It currently consists of two lines (Red line and Green
line) which run through the major financial and residential areas of the city. The Metro system was partially opened
on September 2009. UK-based international service company Serco Group is responsible for operating the metro.
Dubai Metro is the world's second cheapest metro transportation system after Tehran Metro in Iran. The metro
comprises the Green Line which runs from the Etisalat Station to the Creek Station (though Creek Station is still not
operational and stops at Dubai Healthcare City Station, just before Creek Station) and the Red Line, the major back
bone line, which runs from Rashidiya Station to Jebel Ali Station Jebel Ali. A Blue and a Purple Line have also been
planned. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70 km (43.5 mi) of track and 43 stations, 37 above
ground and ten underground. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula. All the
trains run without a driver and are based on automatic navigation.
Palm Jumeirah Monorail
Main article: Palm Jumeirah Monorail
The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah. It connects the Palm Jumeirah to the
mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on 30 April 2009.
Two trams systems are expected to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System
and the second is the Al Sufouh Tram. The Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service
that is planned to service the area around the Burj Khalifa, and the second tram will run 14.5 km (9.0 mi) along Al
Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates.
Dubai has announced it will complete a link of the UAE high-speed rail system which will eventually hook up with
the whole GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council, also known as Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) and
then possibly Europe. The High Speed Rail will serve passengers and cargo.
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