Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has finished the first stretch of tunnelling for the Metro Blue Line. The work took roughly half the time the machines that built the original Metro needed to cover similar ground.
The tunnel boring machine is named Al Wugeisha. It is 163 metres long and weighs more than 2,000 tonnes. Digital guidance and monitoring systems let it excavate soil and line the tunnel walls with concrete segments at the same time. Older machines typically did those two jobs one after the other, which slowed the overall dig.
Tunnelling officially began in May 2026. Since then, the machine has been working beneath the International City area, on the Blue Line's route toward Al Warqa'a station. Al Wugeisha advanced 13 to 17 metres a day on average. On its best day, it covered 30 metres.
The RTA finished this first phase, about 1.2 kilometres of tunnel, in around two months. For comparison, the machines used to build Dubai's original Metro lines in the mid-2000s managed roughly 12 metres a day. Boring a similar stretch back then took about seven months.
"In less than two decades, Dubai has doubled its capabilities, accelerated its achievements and set new standards in tunnel engineering," the RTA said of the milestone.
The pace matters for residents because it keeps the Blue Line on schedule. The RTA says the line is planned to open in 2029.
When it opens, the Blue Line will add 30 kilometres of track and 14 stations. The line runs across two routes. The first is 21 kilometres long with 10 stations, starting from Al Jaddaf. The second is 9 kilometres long with 4 stations, starting from Al Rashidiya and passing through Mirdif and Al Warqa'a.
International City, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Dubai Academic City sit along the first route, alongside Dubai Festival City and Dubai Creek Harbour. The two routes meet at an interchange station in International City, which is also where Al Wugeisha has been tunnelling.
With the first phase complete, the machine is now moving on to its next stretch of tunnel. The RTA has published regular updates on the Blue Line's progress since work began. This milestone suggests the project remains on track for its 2029 target.
Residents living near the tunnelling route should expect continued construction activity as the machine works through each new section. That typically means temporary road closures, diversions, and noise close to the active dig site. The RTA has not detailed a specific closure schedule for the coming stretch.
The Blue Line is designed to eventually replace long bus or car commutes in International City, Mirdif, and Al Warqa'a with a direct Metro ride. How much that changes daily routines depends on where the nearest station ends up. It also depends on how the RTA phases each line segment into service as 2029 approaches.
💬 Would a direct Metro link change how you get around Dubai, or do you already avoid these routes at rush hour?