Dubai Metro Blue Line construction officially launched

UAE: Construction of the Dubai Metro’s Blue Line was officially launched on June 9 with the laying of a foundation stone in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice-President & Prime Minister of the UAE.

The line is to be built by a Turkish-Chinese consortium of civil works contractors Mapa and Limak with railway systems supplier CRRC.

The Y-shaped line will have two routes totalling 15·5 km of underground and 14·5 km of elevated alignment, including a 1·3 km bridge across the Dubai Creek.

One 21 km route with 10 stations will start at Creek Interchange on the Green Line in Al Jaddaf and run through Dubai Festival City, Dubai Creek Harbour and Ras Al Khor to International City 1, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Academic City.

The 9 km second route with four stations will begin at Centrepoint Interchange on the Red Line in Al Rashidiya and run through Mirdif and Al Warqaa to a junction with he rest of the Blue Line at International City 1.

There will be a depot at Al Ruwayah.

The opening of the Blue Line is scheduled for September 9 2029, the 20th anniversary of Dubai’s first metro line. The Blue Line will have a capacity of 46 000 passengers/direction/h with trains every 2 min. It is expected to serve nearly 200 000 passengers/day by 2030, rising to 320 000 passengers/day by 2040.

A landmark on the line will be a 74 m tall and 38 m wide station serving 40 000 residents of Dubai Creek Harbour. This is to be named Emaar Properties station, with property company Emaar having secured naming rights for 10 years from the planned inauguration in 2029.

The 11 000 m² station been designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, whose portfolio includes the Burj Khalifa. The Roads & Transport Authority said it would form ‘a striking visual presence that harmonises with the surrounding urban landscape, elevating the concept of placemaking and positioning the station as a primary destination for Blue Line users.’ 

It will be designed for up to 160 000 passengers per day, and the number of daily users is expected to exceed 70 000 by 2040. 

The choice of materials aims to creates ‘a balance between elegance and sophistication, giving the station a distinctive character that unites tradition with modernity’. Sunlight will reflect off the stone surfaces to provide ‘timeless elegance’, and at night lighting will create a ‘radiant beacon that guides travellers’.