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Dubai Metro Blue Line: Opening date, planned route, map and more
The Dubai Metro is set to get a huge upgrade.
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…
— 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… — 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:
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.
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