In this guide
TL;DRThe short version
- Dubai's Metro Blue Line is under construction as the next major expansion of the city's rail network. Current plans put the start of operations on 9 September 2029. That date falls twenty years to the day after the original Dubai Metro opened.
Dubai's Metro Blue Line is under construction as the next major expansion of the city's rail network. Current plans put the start of operations on 9 September 2029. That date falls twenty years to the day after the original Dubai Metro opened.
Dubai's Metro Blue Line is under construction as the next major expansion of the city's rail network. Current plans put the start of operations on 9 September 2029. That date falls twenty years to the day after the original Dubai Metro opened.
Treat those details as the best public picture available so far. Station names, final maps, and construction milestones can still shift before opening day.
Route and connections
The Blue Line is planned as a Y-shaped route that ties into the existing network at two points:
- Centrepoint Station on the Red Line
- Creek Station on the Green Line
From Centrepoint, the line is expected to run through Mirdif, Al Warqa, International City 1, 2 and 3, and Dubai Silicon Oasis. It ends at Dubai International Academic City. From Creek, it is expected to serve Dubai Festival City and Dubai Creek Harbour before heading toward the Ras Al Khor Industrial Area. The two branches meet at International City 1, which is planned as a major interchange.
A map shared by the Dubai Media Office in November 2023 is the public reference for that layout. Official station names may still change.
Stations planned so far
Coverage so far lists 14 stations. Names reported in public briefings include Academic City, Al Jaddaf, Al Rashidiya, Al Warqa, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai Festival City, Dubai International Airport, Dubai Silicon Oasis, International City 1, 2 and 3, Mirdif, and Ras Al Khor Industrial Area.
Al Jaddaf is planned as a Green Line interchange. Al Rashidiya sits in the Centrepoint and Red Line area. Dubai Creek Harbour carries Emaar Properties Metro Station naming rights for ten years from launch, according to public briefings.
About 15.5 km of the route is planned underground, at depths of up to 70 metres. Five of the 14 stations are planned as fully underground. The rest combine elevated and surface designs. The line also includes a dedicated metro bridge over Dubai Creek. That would be the first permanent rail crossing of the creek in this part of the city.
Timeline and cost
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated tunnelling works in May 2026. Public briefings put the workforce at around 10,000 engineers and workers. The project cost is about 20.5 billion dirhams.
The scheduled opening date is 9 September 2029. That date is symbolic as well as operational. The first Dubai Metro line opened on 9 September 2009. Until the RTA confirms trial-running and handover milestones closer to the date, treat 2029 as the target. It is not a hard guarantee for every station on day one.
Construction progress will keep appearing in official project updates. Watch those channels for any phased opening plan. Large metro projects sometimes open branches in stages even when the headline date stays fixed.
Who it is meant to serve
Once open, the line is expected to improve airport access for residents in several eastern and academic districts. It should also cut bus, taxi, and car trips for students and workers around Academic City and Silicon Oasis. Public estimates put potential ridership coverage at up to one million residents. Planners also project a road-congestion reduction of around 20% on the corridors it serves.
The Blue Line sits inside a wider expansion plan. A separate Gold Line has also been approved as a fully underground project with its own station list. That is useful context, but it is a different line with its own timetable.
For now, the practical guide for residents is the published route skeleton, the 2029 target, and the creek-crossing engineering. Watch official project updates for final station names. If you live in Mirdif, Al Warqa, International City, Silicon Oasis, or Academic City, this is the line most likely to change your daily options once it opens.
If you are choosing a home or school near the planned corridor, treat maps as indicative until stations open. Construction sites and temporary road works can still move. The 2029 launch date is the planning anchor, not a promise that every feeder bus or park-and-ride will be ready on the same morning.
💬 Which Blue Line stop would change your daily commute the most once the line opens?