Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said Dubai Metro has cemented the city's position as one of the fastest-growing and most developed in the world. The Crown Prince of Dubai also said the transport system had played a key role in supporting the city's sustainability drive. His comments came during a tour of the metro's extension to the Expo 2020 site. The Dh11bn megaproject extends 15 kilometres on the Red Line from the Jebel Ali to the Expo 2020 stations and links seven stations in the process. "Dubai Metro today serves as the backbone of the public transport system in the emirate," said Sheikh Hamdan. "The Metro has transformed the way Dubai’s population travels within the city and plays a key role in supporting the city’s sustainable economic development, reducing carbon emissions and helping enhance people’s living standards." The visit also came just a few days after the transport system's 11th anniversary and in the years since 2009, it has served more than 1.5 billion riders across 2.6 million journeys. The new route will take visitors to and from the Expo 2020 site during the six-month global exhibition, which will open in October 2021 after a delay because of Covid-19. It serves communities such as The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park and the Expo 2020 site, which have a combined population of about 270,000 people. The route has a capacity of 46,000 riders per hour in both directions. The line will also serve as a vital corridor between Dubai suburbs and Al Maktoum International Airport. The extension was inaugurated on July 8 and is set to open to the public this year.
