It was on this very day nine years ago that the Dubai Metro zoomed its way into the lives of its residents. In nine years, the rapid transit rail network has clocked a ridership of over 1.2 billion people, establishing itself firmly as the lifeline of public mobility.

The Metro has added an estimated Dh66 billion to Dubai's economy at the end of 2016, according to a study. With accumulated capital and operational costs of about Dh41 billion, this means that for every dirham spent on the Metro, it has yielded Dh1.6.

"Although the core objectives of the Metro project were developing a public transport system to alleviate congestion and reduce emissions, it has brought a host of economic, social and environmental benefits," said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA.

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