Dubai  Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum last night inaugurated the city's metro network saying "this is a dream coming true".

Dubai is the first city in the Gulf to introduce a metro rail system to ease traffic congestion.

The first train rolled out of the Mall of the Emirates station carrying dignitary passengers led by Sheikh Mohammed. The train whizzed through six stations, stopping at each for celebrations, including recitations of poetry.

Sheikh Mohammed characterized the project as a vital piece of infrastructure that could revitalise the city. " It is like when the first plane flew for Emirates (airline) and the first container ship arrived into port," he said earlier.

Dubai Metro is the Middle East’s first fully automated rail transport system and the world’s longest.

Sheikh Mohammed, who described his first Metro ride as 'smooth and quiet,' characterized the project as a vital piece of infrastructure that could revitalise the city, much like the fast-growing state airline and ports that helped put Dubai on the map.

'It's the start of something,' he told reporters on the eve of the project's launch. 'It is like when the first plane flew for Emirates (airline) and the first container ship arrived into port.'

The railway system is being built in two phases – the Red Line and the Green Line. The Red Line, which will start today is 52.1 km long and will run from Rashidiya to Jebel Ali. It will feature 29 stations, when fully complete by February 2010.

But for now, the service is starting with the 10 stations of Nakheel Harbour&Tower, Mall of the Emirates, Financial Centre, Al Jafiliya, Khalid Bin Al Waleed, Union Square, Al Rigga, Deira City Centre, Airport T3 and Rashidiya Terminal.

The 22.5 km Green Line will run from Al Qusais to Jaddaf and have 18 stations. Scheduled to start in June 2010.

Driverless, remote-controlled trains will whisk passengers along an elevated line that snakes over and under numerous bridges crisscrossing the city's main multilane highway before heading underground in the city center.

Every stop will be served by buses, abras or water taxis, all with air-conditioned waiting areas. The complete system should be fully operational by 2015.