The new stations are GGICO in Garhoud, Trade Centre, and the Noor Islamic Bank in Al Quoz.

The new stations will bring the total number of operational stations on the Red Line to 21.

The new stations opening are: Emirates HQ, Dubai International Airport Terminal 1, GGICO (Al Garhoud), Al Karama, Trade Centre, Dubai Marina, and the Ibn Battuta Mall.

The remaining 11 stations will open in October.

The new stations opening are: Emirates HQ, Dubai International Airport Terminal 1, GGICO (Al Garhoud), Al Karama, Trade Centre, Dubai Marina, and the Ibn Battuta Mall.

The Red Line opened with 10 stations on September 9 2009. The Burj Khalifa Metro Station opened in January 2010.

The remaining 11 stations will open in the ‘following months’.

The RTA also announced that the completion date for the Green Line has been pushed back to August 2011.

It will be the 11th station to open on the Red Line and will be able to deal with 11 thousand passengers per hour in each direction.

The station will primarily serve the Downtown Burj Dubai area, home of the Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai, and numerous hotels (Address Downtown Burj Dubai, Address Dubai Mall, Palace, Al Manzil, Qamardeen, Armani etc.).

Nol Blue Cards are designed for frequent travellers who need to load their cards with large balances and require security of funds in case their cards are lost, stolen, or damaged.

The personalised smart cards have an e-purse that can be loaded with up to AED 500. They are valid for use on all modes of public transport and can be recharged at RTA Customer Service Centres, approved sales agents, bus stations, and Dubai Metro stations.

Applicants require a personal photo and proof of identity (passport or ID card). For online applications copies need to be uploaded.

Nol Blue Cards should be received within 10 – 15 days.

Other categories of Nol Cards are:

• Nol Red Ticket – paper ticket with no e-purse, valid for up to 10 trips
• Nol Silver Card – don’t identify the holder, contain a rechargeable e-purse
• Nol Gold Card – same as Nol Silver Card, but allow use of Dubai Metro Gold Glass cabins

A comparison of the various types of cards and fares can be found here.

Completion of electromechanical works in the stations ranges from 80 to 97 percent, and the stations should open in February 2010.

The Dubai Metro began operations on September 9 2009 with 10 stations on the Red Line.

The Green Line is scheduled to commence operations in late 2010.

However services on the opening day will be restricted to VIPs invited by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The system will open to the public the following day.

Stations opening on the first day are Rashidiya, Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3), Deira City Centre, Al Rigga, Union Square, Khalid bin Waleed, Al Jafiliya, Dubai International Financial Centre, Mall of the Emirates, and Nakheel Harbour & Tower.

The remaining stations will open over the coming months.

Throughout Ramadan the Dubai Metro service will operate from Saturday to Thursday 6 am until midnight. On Friday services will run from 2 pm to midnight.

After Ramadan the Metro service will run from Saturday to Thursday, 6.am to 11 pm, and on Fridays 2 pm to midnight.

The stations will be located in Karama, Al Quoz, and Satwa and will offer a comprehensive range of facilities including restaurants, offices, car parks, and taxi ranks.

The bus station in Karama will offer intercity routes.

The car parks will be situated at Al Ghusais at the end of the Green Line, at Rashidiya on the Red Line, and at the Jumeirah Islands station on Sheikh Zayed Road. They will accommodate 6,000, 2,800, and 2,000 cars respectively.

There will be no car parks at any of the other Metro stations.