By Staff Reporter
Dubai’s Ruler laid the foundation stone for the first metro station of the Blue Line on Monday, June 9, with the new project set to transport passengers across the bustling city from September 9, 2029.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the foundation laying stone ceremony, where he was walked through the goals of the new network as work officially begins.
During the ceremony, the design of the Emaar Properties station, the highest Metro station in the world, was unveiled, showcasing a regal golden cylinder-like structure, with motifs embossed on its exterior.
Upon arriving at the venue of the ceremony, the leader was welcomed with a historical gallery showcasing the dream of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum for constructing a metro line connecting Dubai districts. It included a collection of photographs from the leader’s visits to several world capitals, as well as rare images of him using the railway network in the United Kingdom, where the idea of constructing a similar project in Dubai was conceived.
Blue Line Metro project
The expansion project of the iconic Dubai Metro, spanning 30 kilometres and including 14 stations, will have 28 trains in its network and will bring the current railway network to 78 stations and 131km.
The Dh20.5-billion project, which is set to generate Dh56 million in profits, is expected to carry 200,000 riders in 2030 and see a rise to 320,000 passengers by 2040.
The transport network will carry 46,000 passengers per hour in both directions and is expected to reduce traffic congestion on the routes it serves by 20 per cent. The new line will connect nine key districts across the city, projected to be home to over one million residents, as outlined in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
On December 19, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority had announced that it awarded awarded a Dh20.5-billion contract to three prominent Turkish and Chinese companies – Mapa, Limak, and CRRC – for the project’s construction.
Highest Metro station
During the historic ceremony, the Dubai Ruler approved the design for the Emaar Properties Station, the highest metro station in the world, which will stand at 74 metres.
The design for the new station, inspired by the concept of a crossing gateway, was designed by the renowned American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), one of the world’s leading design studios.
The firm’s designs include iconic landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa, the Olympic Tower in New York, and the Sears Tower in Chicago.
The station, covering an area of approximately 11,000 square metres, will be created to integrate into the existing urban environment and embody the vision of ‘Dubai: A Gateway to the Future’. C
The station is designed to accommodate up to 160,000 passengers per day, with the number of daily users expected to exceed 70,000 by 2040.
