By Ashley Karen
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has invited expressions of interest in a design and build contract covering civil works, railway systems, and rolling stock for the scheduled metro Blue Line.
Approximately 15·5 km of the 30 km line would be underground and 14·5 km elevated. There would be five underground stations, containing one interchange, and seven elevated stations, comprising one which RTA claims will have an ‘iconic’ design. Two other elevated transfer stations are envisaged to deliver interchange, with the Red Line at the current Centrepoint station in Rashidiya and the Green Line at its Creek terminus in Al Jaddaf.
Also, although the depot would have a capacity for 60 trains, an initial fleet of 28 driverless trains is envisaged. Nevertheless, initial responses are said to be presented to RTA by November 24.
First submitted in 2006, the Blue Line is planned as a second north-south route, connecting Dubai International Airport with the Al Maktoum Airport in Jebel Ali. It would parallel the Red Line but drive further inland, broadly following Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. Same as the two current lines, it would be constructed for the fully automated operation of GoA4.
Following the 2008 financial crisis, scheduling for the Blue Line was put on hold, but the project was revitalized as part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Plan adopted in March 2021.
This sustainable development project envisages that the emirate’s population will rise from 3·3 million in 2020 to 5·8 million by 2040, with its ‘daytime’ population, including commuting workers, increasing from 4·5 to 7·8 million.
