Since 2000, Dubai's municipality has initiated a plethora of construction phases and plans across the entire city of Dubai, predominantly in the Mina Seyahi area, located further from Jumeirah, towards Jebel Ali. In many areas, it is not easy to see Dubai's sky without at least one crane in your view; some say 16% of the world's large construction cranes reside in Dubai. [citation needed] Construction in Dubai and the UAE in general is a much faster process than in any Western country. This is partly because labourers from the Indian subcontinent accept lower wages than those from other countries.

Trains

There is currently a $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project under construction for the emirate. The Metro system is expected to be partially operational by 2009 and fully operational by 2012. The construction contract for the project was given to Dubai Rapid Link (DURL) [8], a consortium lead by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Also involved are two other Japanese corporations, Obayashi and Kajima, and a Turkish company, Yapi Merkezi. The metro will comprise two lines: the Green Line from Rashidiya to the main city center and the Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali. The Dubai Metro will have 70 kilometres of track and 43 stations, 33 above ground and ten underground. Trains are expected to run every 90 seconds when the project is completed. Dubai is building this train system to ease congestion on its road network and to meet the transportation demands of its growing population. Seven monorails are also slated to be constructed to help feed the Metro system, connecting various places such as Dubailand, Palm Jumeriah, et al, to the main track.

Ports and water travel

Dubai is serviced by several commercial ports and Dubai Creek is still used by local traders in Dhows:

Jebel Ali One of the more traditional methods of getting across Bur Dubai to Deira is through abras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Bani Yas Road, for a nominal charge of 50 fils (1/2 AED).

Air

Dubai International Airport is a hub for Emirates airlines and has a large Duty Free shopping centre. Dubai airport has won numerous awards for its excellence in design and services. A third terminal is currently under construction and is due to open in 2006. The new terminal will be dedicated to Emirates airlines and will fully support the new Airbus A380. When completed this will double the capacity of the airport. A second airport located at Jebel Ali — and a new free trade area within Dubai, marking the centrepiece of the Jebel Ali Airport City — was announced in 2004 and construction began in January 2005. Although initially intended as a predominantly cargo airport, plans are afoot for the new Jebel Ali airport to handle some 120 million passengers per annum within 20 years, and would likely surpass Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, currently the world's busiest airport, which handles 88.4 million passengers as of 2005 [citation needed].

Dubai is investing heavily in developing the reach of its airline, Emirates. The idea is to develop Dubai's air transportation ability so that passengers from any city can fly direct to Dubai. When Emirates Airline recieves the Boeing 777-200 LR worldliner series aircraft, it will be able to offer direct access to virtualy any major city in the world.