Dubai Metro Blue Line achieves first tunneling milestone

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority announced that the Metro Blue Line project has completed its first major tunneling phase. Using the next‑generation Al Wugeisha tunnel boring machine, crews excavated roughly 30 metres per day, finishing the initial 163‑metre tunnel section in just two months – more than double the speed of the original Dubai Metro construction.

The Blue Line, part of the emirate’s 2040 Urban Master Plan, will extend 131 kilometres with 78 stations and is designed to carry up to 350,000 passengers daily. The contract, valued at 20.5 billion dirhams, is held by a consortium that includes Turkish firms Mapa and Limak together with China’s CRRC, with engineering support from SYSTRA Turkey and project‑management consulting from Parsons Corporation.

The milestone underscores rapid advances in tunnelling technology and marks a significant step toward expanding Dubai’s high‑capacity rail network.