New jewel earns Royal approval

Sheikh Mohammed was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as he made a journey that, from today, will become the norm for commuters.

DUBAI // With a swipe of his personal Metro card, handed to him on a silver platter, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took a historic train trip last night. It was one that - minus the bells and whistles - will be replicated by hordes of commuters from today.

The opening of the 52km Dubai Metro Red Line, which was broadcast live on television, began with a reception attended by hundreds of people at the Mall of the Emirates Galleria. "This project attests to Dubai's commitment to achieving the highest standards of living," said Mattar al Tayer, the chairman and executive director of the Roads and Transport Authority, during a pre-launch speech. As Sheikh Mohammed left the gathering, he made his way down a lengthy red carpet, past onlookers, towards the Mall of the Emirates Metro stop.

He was followed by a phalanx of press chronicling his every step and about 500 dignitaries, including Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Set apart in a sea of white dishdashas by his royal blue version, Sheikh Mohammed held off for several seconds as a giant clock counted down to nine seconds past 9:09pm on the ninth day of the ninth month of 2009.

He swiped his pass, bearing his picture, and made his way through the turnstiles, walking across ticker-tape strewn floors and past colourful laser lights emanating from the walls around him. The Ruler then bypassed an escalator and climbed a set of stairs up to the subway platform. Several minutes later, the train and a second following it, both full, pulled away from the station, many of the inaugural passengers raising their fists in the air as they set off.

The train proceeded to the Financial Centre stop, at DIFC. Sheikh Mohammed got out and visited the main area of the station, where he left a gold commemorative coin for display. The stop is one of several that will have pieces on permanent exhibition. The group bypassed Al Jafliya station, which was lit up by fireworks. The trains then stopped at the Khalid Bin Walid station, also known as Burjuman, where Sheikh Mohammed illuminated the phrase "Dubai Metro" in laser lights from a poem he wrote that is permanently etched there.

At the Union Square station, Sheikh Mohammed wrote a secret message, which was rolled and held in place by a metal ring, to be included in a time capsule that will not be opened for 37 years. He also took in an exhibit chronicling the different stages of the Red Line's construction, as well as a model of the underground system. At Dubai Airport Terminal 3 station, Sheikh Mohammed illuminated a massive mosaic portrait of himself. When the trip wrapped up nine stops down the line at Rashidiya station, Sheikh Mohammed visited Zoom, the Emirates National Oil Company's new convenience store, part of a chain that has just been announced as the official shops of the Metro.

He stopped to chat to a young girl standing by a model depicting a train bursting through a wall of bricks constructed entirely of Lego. In a speech, Sheikh Mohammed said the new system - the first in the region - would help the UAE stand on par with other nations. He pointed to it as an example of the financial resilience of the emirate amid the economic downturn. "We have postponed some of the projects that were still on paper, but we ordered that those in operation be completed, and Dubai Metro is a concrete proof of that," said Sheikh Mohammed.

A third train left the Nakheel Harbour and Tower station with 400 winners of free passes that were picked by the Roads and Transport Authority from about 10,000 entries. The winners also ended up in Rashidiya. Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Mohammed wrote several updates on the Metro's launch via Twitter. One mentioned that he was remembering his test ride on the system last year, pointing his Twitter followers to a video of the excursion on his Facebook page that had been watched by more than 2,000 people.