Metro changes Dubai scene but car-lovers stick to the wheel

Dubai Metro has altered the commuting scene in this car-loving city, a year after the first train left the station, but getting motorists from behind their steering wheels remains an uphill struggle.

And despite Dubai's severe financial crisis, the rail authority is determined to complete its second line, delayed for over a year.

Since September 9, 2009, when the network opened, the number of daily trips has reached 120,000, for more than 30 million riders, says Mattar al-Tayyer, CEO of the Road and Transport Authority.

Ridership is expected to hit 40 million in 2010, Tayyer said, with the opening of the remaining stations on the Red Line, the first of two lines to enter service in the city of around two million people.

On one recent day, just after 3:00 pm when most employees leave work during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, passengers crowded the platforms at several stations of the Red Line.

"Using the train is better than being on the road, to avoid traffic jams," said Vijay, a 36-year-old Indian who works in customer service at a driving school. He said he has been using the train for three months, since he got his new job, which is located in the upmarket Mall of the Emirates shopping centre.

AFP