The first line of the two-line luxury, driverless, automated Dh28 billion metro system is set to open for business on Wednesday, but transport authorities now say only 10 of the Dubai Metro's 29 stations will be ready for the symbolic date of 09/09/09.

The remainder of the stations on the Red Line will open by February while the 23-kilometre Green Line, which has 18 stations and was scheduled to open in spring 2010, will now be launched in the summer of 2010.

The challenge will now be to lure motorists enamoured with their cars to leave them behind and ride the metro in a city where traffic jams have always been a nightmare for road authorities.

There are more than one million vehicles registered in Dubai.