On September 9 Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will launch the official operation of the Dubai Metro Green Line, which spans 23 kilometers and comprises 16 stations, reported Gulf News. The Red and Green lines of Dubai Metro will intersect twice; first time at the Union Station; which is the biggest underground metro station in the world spanning an area of 25 thousand square meters, and second time at Khalid bin Al Waleed Station; which is one of the most dazzling metro stations across the globe. Metro riders can transfer between the two lines through these two stations. According to the article, 14 trains will be operated during peak hours and 10 trains during off-peak hours with a service frequency (headway) ranging from 6 to 8 minutes. Accordingly, the number of trains operated on both the Red and Green lines will shoot to 50 trains during peak times and 28 trains during off-peak times. As reported by 2daydubai.com, work officially commenced on the construction on metro on March 21, 2006, groundwork's began in February, 2006. The first phase (US$ 4.2 billion) covers 35 kilometers of the proposed network, and the second phase (US$ 12 billion) includes extensions to the initial routes on both lines. The red line of Dubai metro opened to public on September 9, 2009.

Ski slope, started construction of its mixed-use Khams Shamat Touristic Development project in Syria even as the security situation there worsened. The Dubai-based developer began work on the US $1 billion development, which is located 17 kilometers west of the Syrian capital Damascus, the company said in an e-mailed statement on August 7. The mall builder on July 27 started laying the foundations for the first phase of the project, which will involve building hotels, shops, homes and offices within a 1.5 million square- meter area in the Yaafour district, according to the statement. "All necessary preparations required to proceed with the execution of the project have already been made," Waddah As reported by Bloomberg, Majid Al Futtaim Group, the shopping-mall developer that built Dubai's indoor El Solh, the company's regional head for Syria and Lebanon, said in the statement. That includes the allocation of project management and construction teams, he said. About 2,200 protesters have been killed in Syria since March in an uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the National Organization for Human Rights. More than 500 members of the security forces have also been killed, Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad told India's News X channel.

Damac Properties, a leading real estate developer, has commenced main construction works at its US$ 138.3 million residential development at Dubai Marina. Leading construction company Arabtec, which was awarded the main construction contract, is now on site following the completion of enabling works by Zetas Foundation Technology. The 420 meters tall, 85-storey Damac Heights will comprise one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and penthouses, and have views of the Palm Jumeirah. The complex will incorporate five star amenities including a temperature controlled swimming pool, gymnasium, nursery, sauna, steam room and spa facilities, a statement said. "Damac Heights will be another shining jewel along the beachfront real estate band on Al Sufouh Road, Dubai Marina. This two kilometre stretch of land is home to some of the most exclusive and luxurious residential properties ever constructed, and of these real estate gems, Damac Heights will shine the brightest" said Niall Mc Loughlin, senior vice president, Damac Properties. "To impress in Dubai these days, developers are aware they need to go to the next level. It's not enough to build a nice apartment building in a mediocre location. You have to build a phenomenal building, in a prestigious location with every conceivable modern convenience included. That's what we are aiming to achieve with Damac Heights," Mc Loughlin added. Damac Heights will represent the second partnership between Arabtec and Damac Properties at Dubai Marina. It follows the completion of the award winning 84-storey residential tower 'Ocean Heights' last year. Damac Properties was established in 2002 and has already completed 28 buildings to date with 6045 units and spanning 986 580.9 square meters with projects in Dubai. Before the end of this year Damac Properties will complete a further 8 buildings comprising 1,329 units spanning 233 466.0 square meters.

According to Arabian business, Dubai, the Gulf business hub where property prices continue to decline, cancelled 217 property projects in the past two years. The Real Estate Regulatory Authority reviewed more than 450 projects and expects 237 of them to be completed "in due course," according to information contained in the Dubai government's bond prospectus. The total value of property sale transactions plunged to US$ 32.6 billion at the end of last year from US$ 41.7 billion a year earlier. Residential property prices in Dubai, the worst-performing market in the Middle East for the past three years, haven't yet benefited from political turmoil in other parts of the region, Deutsche Bank AG said last week. Home values declined 1.2 percent in May from the previous month and rents fell by 1 percent, according to the bank. Apartment prices dropped 1.3 percent and villas lost 1 percent. "Despite talks of renewed interest in real estate following regional unrest, there is no visible sign of an improvement," the analysts wrote. "Even if we believe the worst of the downtrend is now behind, new supply, lack of homebuyers' appetite and anemic transaction activity point to further weakness."

Realty Capital has completed construction work on its i-Rise business tower project in Dubai. I-Rise tower is strategically located on a premium corner plot in Dubai's Tecom Site-C and offers a total built-up-area of more than 150 thousand square meters, making it among the region's largest office tower developments. Realty Capital has revealed that a number of high-profile tenants have already started fit-out works in their respective offices with the intention to move into the luxurious, 36-storey executive and corporate tower. But Dubai's latest eye-catching real estate project has sold only half of its units. Realty Capital worked with the main contractor AI Naboodah in order to complete the project on schedule. Realty Capital Middle East has also partnered with several of the world's top service providers for the design, development, execution and sales of the project, including, Khatib & Alami Consolidated Engineering Company, a leading architectural and engineering consultancy firm in the MENA region; Projacs International, one of the largest Pan-Arab project and construction management firms and so on. 36 storey tower offers prime commercial space with a gross area of 3 thousand square meters per floor. Offices at i-Rise are characterised as both modern and flexible ranging from 50 to 330 square meters. Individual offices come in two modules, executive and corporate. Executive offices have their own toilets, pantry and store rooms. i-Rise has also been designed to deliver generous daylight in all office spaces, creating substantial energy savings and enhancing the tower's environmental benefits. In addition to its location, convenient access from Sheikh Zayed Road and optimum visibility, i-Rise also offers panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and the New Dubai skyline. Moreover, it is just a short distance away from the Dubai Metro Station.