
Dubai Metro Blue Line: Opening date, planned route, map and more
By 2029, the Dubai Metro Blue Line, an entirely new line, will join both the Red and Green Lines to expand the public transport offering across Dubai.
Dubai's RTA has confirmed that work on the Dhs20.5 billion Dubai Metro Blue Line project is underway and will be up and running sooner than you think.
When will Dubai Metro Blue Line open?
The RTA revealed in December 2024 that the new Blue Line will start operating in 2029.
The project is scheduled to be completed on the date of its 20th anniversary of operations Sunday September 9 2029.
Once completed, it is expected to serve 200,000 passengers every day by 2030 with this number rising to 320,000 by 2040 as the Dubai population continues to grow.
تستمر #هيئة_الطرق_و_المواصلات في تنفيذ مشاريع نوعية تسهم في تعزيز مكانة #دبي العالمية وتؤكد ريادتها في مجال تطوير البنى التحتية، حيث تستعرض في المعرض والمؤتمر العالمي للسكك الحديدية والنقل والبنية التحتية #جلوبال_ريل2024، مشروع الخط الأزرق لـ #مترو_دبي، الذي يحقق الربط والتكامل… pic.twitter.com/qqosqn6rPC
— RTA (@rta_dubai) October 8, 2024
At the end of April 2025, H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, chaired the Blue Line Forum meeting, attended by Dubai Metro Blue Line stakeholders.
Sharing the development on X, it was revealed how the meeting reviewed the latest developments and overall progress of the Blue Line Project.
These regular meetings reflect RTA's commitment to informed decision-making at every stage of the project and ensure the project stays on schedule and is delivered as planned.
At an RTA workshop, it was also revealed that the Dubai Metro Blue Line will cut traffic by 20 percent in nine neighbourhoods once built.
H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, chaired the Blue Line Forum meeting, attended by the heads of the Dubai Metro Blue Line Project Consortium, and the supervising consultant.
The meeting discussed the latest developments…
— RTA (@rta_dubai) April 28, 2025
Dubai Metro Blue Line stations
In July 2024, the RTA announced that the Dubai Metro will eventually more than double its number of stations operating in the city by 2040.
The only project currently announced for this transformation of the public transport system is the Dubai Metro Blue Line.
It will feature 14 stations, with nine above ground and five underground, and extend over 30km.
It will serve nine vital areas of the city and connect with the Red Line at Centrepoint Station and the Green Line at Al Khor Station.
These areas include Marsa, Dubai Creek, Festival City, International City, Al Rashidiya, Al Warqa, Mirdif, and urban areas such as Silicon Oasis, Academic City
Dubai Metro plans will eventually more than double the current number of stations. (Credit: Government of Dubai)
Despite work only beginning on the Dubai Metro Blue Line this year, RTA and Dubai Police have discussed the requirements of the project and what will ensure the safety of city residents.
Speaking in February 2024, Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, announced that work had begun.
He said: 'RTA is consistently expanding and upgrading the public transport network.
'2024 is set to mark the commencement of the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, which will stretch over a total of 30km, with 15.5 km running underground and 14.5 km above ground.
You might also like: New Dubai Metro Blue Line map: What the new route could look like
'The project encompasses 14 stations including three interchange stations, connecting key areas in Dubai to cope with the projected demographic growth of surrounding areas to one million people as per the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040.
Dubai's #RTA announced that in 2023, the combined ridership of public transport and shared mobility, including Dubai Metro, Tram, buses, marine transport, shared mobility services, and taxis, reached around 702 million, up 13% from 2022's 621.4 million. The average daily… pic.twitter.com/VDDay5H3wn — RTA (@rta_dubai) February 18, 2024
'It also integrates with the Red and Green lines of the Metro, offering a direct link between Dubai International Airport and nine principal areas situated along its route. The journey time between these destinations is expected to vary from 10 to 25 minutes,' added Al Tayer.
Plans for Dubai Metro Blue Line were first announced in November 2023 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
At the time, HH Sheikh Mohammed said: 'The Blue Line Route of the Dubai Metro… (will) cost 18 billion dirhams.'
But this estimated cost has since risen to Dhs20.5 billion following the announcement, in December 2024, of a consortium of three major construction companies to build the project.
Turkish firms MAPA and Limak, as well as Chinese construction company CRRC will form a consortium to build the project.
HH Sheikh Mohammed also confirmed where the Blue Line will operate when the plans were first announced.
He added: '[The Dubai Metro Blue Line] covers areas with a population of up to a million people such as Marsa, Dubai Creek, Festival City, International City, Al Rashidiya, Al Warqa, Mirdif, and urban areas such as Silicon Oasis, Academic City, and others. The new line will transport 320,000 new passengers daily.'
The Dubai Metro map (Credit: RTA.ae)
Interestingly, and unlike the current Metro Lines, just over half of the Dubai Metro Blue Line will be underground and the remainder above ground.
With hundreds of millions of riders on the Dubai Metro every year, the commencement of work on the Blue Line is bound to be exciting news for public transport users in Dubai.
Currently, Green Line stations are in Bur Dubai and Deira in the old town.
The Red Line connects the old city and airport to Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and Expo 2020 in the south-west.
rta.ae
More Dubai transport news
Dubai reveals plans for quicker bus journeys
More than 11,000 trips are made daily on city buses
6 wild public transport projects coming soon to Dubai
From Elon Musk's underground tunnel to a trackless tram
57 major road projects coming to Dubai by 2027 — here's what to expect
And how they'll improve your journey
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
17-07-2025
- Reuters
Most Gulf markets gain on earnings boost, but Saudi index extends losses
July 17 (Reuters) - Most major stock markets in the Gulf rose on Thursday, lifted by positive corporate earnings and announcements, although the Saudi index was set to extend losses for an eighth consecutive session. Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI), opens new tab advanced 1.2%, hitting a 17-1/2-year high, buoyed by financial shares. Shares of Emirates NBD ( opens new tab jumped 4%, on course to gain for a third consecutive session, after the top lender announced it had concluded 3.9 billion dirhams ($1.06 billion) in syndicated loans for Dubai Metro's Blue Line Project. Budget airliner Air Arabia ( opens new tab advanced 5.1% to a record high on plans to increase its Abu Dhabi unit's operational capacity by 40% this year, following Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's exit from the market. In Abu Dhabi, the index (.FTFADGI), opens new tab added 0.6%. The Qatari index (.QSI), opens new tab gained 0.5%, supported by a 2.6% rise in Qatar Islamic Bank ( opens new tab after the lender reported higher half-yearly profit. The sharia-compliant lender reported on Wednesday a first-half net profit of 2.18 billion riyals ($598.46 million), up 5.3% from last year. Shares of Commercial Bank of Qatar ( opens new tab dropped 1.3%, a day after the lender posted a nearly 20% decline in net profit for the six-month period ended June 30. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI), opens new tab eased 0.2%, on course to fall for a eighth consecutive session, with Al Rajhi Bank ( opens new tab losing 0.8%. Elsewhere, oil giant Saudi Aramco ( opens new tab was down 0.7%. ($1 = 3.6427 Qatar riyals) ($1 = 3.6726 UAE dirham)


Time Out Dubai
17-07-2025
- Time Out Dubai
Parkin announces new subscription fees for students and teachers
Listen up Dubai students and teachers, your parking just got a whole lot cheaper. The city's official parking operator, Parkin, just announced it is changing the rules around parking fees, offering certain individuals a budget subscription fee. Offering new public parking subscriptions, the fees will be available to students, as well as the staff of private education centres. If you like this: Parking at Dubai public parks is changing There will also be a new subscription fee for anyone seeking multi-storey parking access across the city. For students, the fee will start at Dhs100 per month, allowing access to both roadside and plots parking with zone codes A, B, C and D within a 500m radius of their campus. Teachers and staff at private education centres will also be able to redeem the Dhs100 fee along with parking near their campus. Parkin introduces new subscriptions designed for students, educators, and multi-storey parking access, with flexible options to suit your daily needs. Discover them now on our app or at — ParkinUAE (@ParkinUAE) July 16, 2025 Finally, a new fee for multi-storey parking will be priced from Dhs735 per month, which will offer convenient parking options near your home, workplace or favoured destinations across Dubai. In a post on X, Parkin stated: 'Parkin introduces new subscriptions designed for students, educators, and multi-storey parking access, with flexible options to suit your daily needs.' Public parking in Dubai is organised and managed by Parkin, which took over responsibility from the RTA in 2024. Looking after public and private spaces around the city, Parkin has since implemented a new tariff system for parking, which divides into four zones named A, B, C and (you guessed it), D. Coming into practice in April 2025, there is also a new peak time hours fee for specific spaces that are located near transport hubs, business districts and shopping areas. With the new tariffs, these premium parking spaces have risen to Dhs6 per hour. In contrast, regular parking spaces across the city have remained priced at Dhs4 per hour. In other Dubai news AI or human? Dubai launches world-first system that tells you the truth This article was written by a human btw… Dubai Metro Blue Line: Here's where the 14 new stations will be located What to expect when the route arrives Dubai announces return of 12-hour summer sale with 90% off And it's coming soon


Reuters
16-07-2025
- Reuters
Japan's Kawasaki Kisen prepared to reroute more ships away from US over tariffs, CEO says
TOKYO, July 16 (Reuters) - Japanese shipper Kawasaki Kisen (K-Line) (9107.T), opens new tab is adjusting its U.S. services and is prepared to reroute more ships away to other regions as it braces for potentially higher U.S. tariffs, CEO Takenori Igarashi said on Wednesday. "There have been times when ships couldn't be fully loaded on some routes, and when we reduced the frequency of container services from East Asia to the U.S.," Igarashi, who took his post in March, told Reuters in an interview. "We're adjusting our fleet capacity according to cargo volumes." One of Japan's major shipping companies, Kawasaki Kisen has factored in a 30 billion yen ($200 million) impact from U.S. tariffs for the financial year through March 2026, citing a hit to the car carrier business and lower container volumes and freight rates. Igarashi said that the container ship business would be especially affected by the outcome of U.S.-China tariff negotiations, which the company was closely watching. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened higher tariffs on a range of trading partners unless they agree trade deals before an August 1 deadline. Depending on the tariff rates that various countries ultimately face and what they do to trade flows, there could be some positive impact if shipping distances lengthen, Igarashi said. To adjust to tariff-related demand at the operational level, Kawasaki Kisen could redirect vessels from U.S. routes to Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Africa, he said. "When it comes to strategic adjustments, we may, for example, reduce assets in the form of vessels a bit, but unless we are clear about the direction of trade policies, we can't suddenly make drastic cuts," he said. "We're still in the wait-and-see phase." ($1 = 149.8000 yen) (This story has been republished to change photographer credit in the image, with no changes to text)