A whole new 30 km long metro track, the Blue Line, is going to be added to Dubai Metro. The news comes to light through a recent tender that the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) issued in terms of the build and design structure of the city.

The Dubai Metro aims to “meeting the rapid economic and urban growth of Dubai”. The Blue Line metro route will draw a link between the Red and Green lines that already exist. According to the plans, it will spread over 30 km, 15.5 km of the total length will be undergrounded, and the rest of 14.5 km will remain above the ground.

The Blue Line will include 14 metro stations, of which seven stations will be elevated, including one interchange, one iconic, and five underground stations. Also, there will be two transfer stations that will connect the existing CenterPoint stations in between. The two stations that will be connected with The Bue line are Rashidiya which is the eastern terminus of the Red Line, and the southern terminus of the Green Line in Al Jaddaf, Creek Station.

More Automated Trains

There is no closure about the route, travel time, and cost. Although there is some information from the potential providers and contractors claiming that it will include 28 new trains, which will be fully automated, as well as a new depot construction will be capable of accommodating up to 60 trains, and utility, and facilities of diversion works, and the buildings of each associating roads.

 

The contractor. Consortium or the Joint Venture for Blue Line will specifically work on the areas following:

  • Civil works, including all the structural and architectural inputs along with stations, tunnels, viaducts, etc will include many detailed designs.
  • All designing and execution of the electromechanical works.
  • Design, purchase, and delivery of operations, along with control systems of the stations, trains, and other facilities.
  • Design, manufacture, and supply process of the rolling stocks.

Pillar of the Public Transportation System

The Dubai Metro, which started its journey back on September 9, 2009, is the longest driverless metro network in the world with 89.3km of length. The Dubai Metro is the most important pillar and the backbone of the public transportation system in Dubai. The public transportation system in 14 years served more than 2 billion commuters.

The Dubai Metro, which is the current fleet of 129 trains, has maintained a 99.7 percent punctuality rate, and excelled in international safety standards with extraordinary operational efficiency. The major foresight plan of Dubai is to raise the number of fully driverless public transportation shares by 30 percent within 2030.

At present, Dubai Metro has a total number of 53 stations in both the Green and Red lines. Route 2020, which is the latest metro project extension, runs the trains between Jebel Ali Station and Dubai Expo City on the Red Line. Route 2020 began its operations on January 1, 2021.

A Rapid Urban Growth

The extension plan of the Blue Line Metro is a part of the  Dubai 2040 Urban Plan project, which was proposed earlier in March 2021 as the preparation for the growing population, and that predicted to touch the bar from 3.3 million in 2020 to 5.8 million by 2040. The daytime population of Dubai might rise from 4.5 million in 2020 to 7.8 million in 2040 which must need a “comprehensive plan for a sustainable urban development”.

Effective mobility is the major aim of the Dubai 2040 Urban Plan. This plan also includes placing 55 percent of the residents in mass transit stations within 800 meters, which will let them fulfill their daily requirements with a minimum of 20 minutes of travel time, including by riding a bicycle, or on foot.

According to the tender released by the Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA), The Blue Line project will increase the size of the Metro rail network by increasing the density of the population around the mass transit stations “to meet the rapid economic and urban growth in Dubai. This project facilitates mobility to Dubai’s main urban centres and fosters linkages between main hubs of economic and social activities.”

Companies are willing to seek involvement in the Blue Line Project, are informed to submit their proposals in detail before November 24, 2023. The requests will not be accepted after the deadline.