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Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday launched the tunnelling work for the Dubai Metro.
The tunnel will start at Union Square in Deira and stretch to BurJuman Centre.
Upon his arrival at the site, Shaikh Mohammad was welcomed by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and other officials.
Shaikh Mohammad watched a documentary on the project's phases as well as the components and operation of the tunnel-boring machine (TBM).
TBM is used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of geologies. It is designed to bore through hard rock or sand layers and almost anything in between.
Al Tayer made a presentation on the routes of the Metro's Red and Green lines. Shaikh Mohammad then announced the start of official operation of the tunnel-boring machine with the press of a button.
Shaikh Mohammad described the Metro project as "a source of pride to all of us. We hope that it would cover the whole emirate".
Attending the ceremony were Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director of Dubai Protocol Department.
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