A vast machine almost 10 metres wide will help lay the groundwork for the launch of the much-anticipated Dubai Metro Blue Line.
The advanced tool – called Al Wugeisha – weighs more than 2,000 tonnes and will carry out much of the heavy lifting as it works around the clock ahead of the line’s opening in 2029.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the tunneling work on Sunday, marking a significant step forward for one of the emirate's key infrastructure projects.
“10,000 engineers and workers are racing against time, with a budget of Dh20 billion, to deliver the line by September 9, 2029, alongside a further Dh34 billion investment in the Gold Line,” he wrote on X.
Three tunnel-boring machines will take position at International City 1 to create the underground sections of the line, which will make up slightly more than half of its 30km length.
Al Wugeisha has a 9.6-metre diameter cutter head and will advance at a rate of up to 17 metres a day.
As the machine is pushed forward by a hydraulic system, a protective metal shield behind it prevents the tunnel from collapsing by stabilising the soil, Dubai Media Office has revealed.
Concrete segments are installed in the cutter’s wake and a conveyor belt carries away excavated material.
To ensure precision, the boring machines benefit from advanced digital guidance, monitoring and control systems, the media office said.
Record breakers
The Blue Line, made up of 15.5km of underground lines and 14.5km above ground, is scheduled to open on September 9, 2029.
Joseph Salem, a UAE-based partner and head of travel, transport and hospitality practice at management consultancy Arthur D Little Middle East, said its construction has posed numerous challenges, among them the project’s scale.
That certain stations will be record-breakers – the Emaar Properties Station at Dubai Creek Harbour will be the highest, at 74 metres above sea level, and International City 1 the Metro's busiest interchange – also makes delivery more complex, he said.
“Another challenge is the timeline – we’re looking at an opening in September 2029,” he said. “It’s quite tough, looking around the world, to meet the deadline, but knowing Dubai I’m sure that timeline will be met.”
While there will be disruption the building works, particularly at aboveground stations and sections, Mr Salem said the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was minimising this.
He cited measures from the RTA such as providing alternative routes for drivers, using new traffic management technology such as smart traffic lights, ensuring communication was good to encourage people to plan ahead, and engaging in community outreach so the public understand what is happening.
“The RTA is trying to ensure the bigger picture is clear for the residents of the area and ensuring that short-term pain will lead to long-term gain,” Mr Salem said.
Digging deep
Dubai is spending Dh20.5 billion ($5.58 billion) on the Blue Line, which will connect with the Red Line at Al Rashidiya and the Green Line at Al Jaddaf.
Officials are hoping the 14-station line, which will reach all the way to Dubai International Academic City, will result in a 20 per cent reduction in traffic congestion in the city.
In the first phase of development, the three tunnelling machines will dig their way from a vast underground hub at International City 1, created to assemble the machines, towards Mirdif, Automarket and International City 2.
In a second phase, they will be stationed under Emirates Road digging towards the depot, and from Al Rashidiya towards Mirdif.
Demand for personnel is also high, with 10,000 engineers and other workers already working on the project.
Dr Simona Azzali, associate professor of architecture and urbanism at Canadian University Dubai, said authorities face the challenge of creating the Blue Line “while keeping rapidly growing residential, commercial and educational districts functioning”.
“The Blue Line will serve areas where daily mobility is already important and where future population growth is expected, so construction management, clear public communication, and safe pedestrian and traffic arrangements will be very important,” she said.
“With the summer months approaching, and with schools closing and some residents travelling, traffic volumes in some parts of the city can be lower, which may make certain phases of road management or construction logistics easier to handle.
“At the same time, summer also brings its own challenges in terms of heat, working conditions and construction scheduling.”
While the work may cause disruption, the new line will boost the city’s development, said Munir Al Deraawi, founder and chief executive of Orla Properties in Dubai.
“For the short term, for the next three years, Dubai will be under constraints, but this is built for the long term. Later on it will start giving benefits,” he said.
He added Dubai Metro had been “one of the biggest drivers of property value in Dubai”.
“Once the access improves, the demand goes up and prices follow,” Mr Al Deraawi said. “When the Metro lines come in, everything goes up. Developers will be attracted to go to locations on the Metro.”
Tunnelling on the Blue Line started less than two weeks after Dubai revealed plans for the Dh34 billion Gold Line, an 18-station addition to the network that will stretch for 42km between Al Ghubaiba and Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The fully underground Gold Line will connect to the Red Line, the Green Line and to Etihad Rail, and is scheduled to open on September 9, 2032, the 23rd anniversary of the launch of Dubai Metro.
Once all four lines are complete, Dubai Metro will have 85 stations and a total length of 162km.
