Dubai to extend Metro Red Line

Dubai, UAE’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has announced plans for a 15 km extension to the emirates’ Metro. The new leg of the Red line will have seven stations and run from Nakheel Harbour and the Tower Metro Station to the site of the Expo 2020 show grounds.

RTA executive chairman Mattar Al Tayer said, “(The) Route 2020 project will offer safe and smooth mobility to visitors of Expo 2020 and residents of the neighbourhood as well. It stands out as a vital transit corridor linking various Dubai districts with Al Maktoum International Airport, an icon of a new important development phase in the history of Dubai, and a symbol of sustainability, advancement and creativity for current and future generations.”

The RTA said it would hold a workshop later this month for consultants and contractors interested in working on the scheme. Contract packages are expected to be put out for tender next July. When complete, the extension to the Red Line will take the total length of the Dubai Metro to 90 km.

As yet, the RTA has not announced a budget for the scheme. However, the timeline world require completion ahead of the 2020 World Expo, which takes place in Dubai. The event is due to open in October 2020 and close in April 2021.

The project has been welcomed by Nakheel, one of Dubai’s leading real estate developers. The company said that more than 110,000 people living in communities it has built will benefit from the extension project

A Nakheel spokesman said: “The Dubai Metro extension is a major boost for these communities – and the wider area known as New Dubai – both in terms of the residents who live in them and investors who have bought land or homes in them. Residents will benefit from a transport alternative to the car, while the value of investors’ properties will be enhanced.”