Dubai Metro Blue Line
Status, timeline, budget and the areas around it, with every fact sourced.
- Type
- Transport
- Emirate
- Dubai
- Budget
- AED20.5 billion contract awarded by RTA
Overview
The Blue Line is a 30 km, 14 station Dubai Metro line linking Al Jaddaf, Dubai Festival City, Dubai Creek Harbour, Ras Al Khor, International City, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Academic City, Mirdif and Al Warqa. RTA awarded the AED 20.5 billion contract in December 2024 and the foundation stone was laid in June 2025. Operations are expected to start on 9 September 2029.
- Status
- Under construction (foundation stone laid 9 June 2025; RTA described the line as being implemented in September 2026)
- Type
- Transport
- Emirate
- Dubai
- Budget
- AED20.5 billion contract awarded by RTASource: Government of Dubai Media Office
Timeline
19 December 2024
RTA awards Blue Line contract to MAPA, LIMAK and CRRC consortium
Source: Government of Dubai Media OfficeApril 2025
Construction slated to begin
Source: Government of Dubai Media Office9 June 2025
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid lays foundation stone
Source: Government of Dubai Media Office9 September 2029
Expected start of operations
Source: Khaleej Times
Key facts
- Length
- 30 km (15.5 km underground, 14.5 km elevated)Source: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Stations
- 14 (nine elevated, five underground), including three interchangesSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Routes
- Route 1: 21 km, 10 stations, Al Khor to Dubai Academic City via International City (1). Route 2: 9 km, 4 stations, Centrepoint to International City (1)Source: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Contractor
- Consortium led by MAPA (Turkey) with LIMAK (Turkey) and CRRC (China); MAPA and LIMAK civil works, CRRC rail systemsSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Creek crossing
- 1,300 m bridge, the first Dubai Metro crossing of Dubai CreekSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Depot
- Al Ruwayah 3Source: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Projected ridership
- About 200,000 passengers daily by 2030, rising to 320,000 by 2040Source: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Capacity
- 46,000 passengers per hour in both directionsSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Emaar Properties Station (Dubai Creek Harbour)
- 74 m tall, about 11,000 sq m, the line's iconic stationSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- International City 1 interchange
- Underground station of over 44,000 sq m, projected capacity 350,000 passengers per daySource: Government of Dubai Media Office
- Network effect
- Dubai rail network grows from 101 km to 131 km and from 64 to 78 stationsSource: Government of Dubai Media Office
On the map
Only the two existing interchange stations (Creek, Centrepoint) resolve in OpenStreetMap; the 12 new stations are not mapped, so no line alignment can be drawn from sourced points. Wikipedia lists the line as a Y shape with International City 1 as the junction, so a single LineString through the listed order would be wrong.
Map point: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Stations
In route order. Stations with a map point are drawn on the map.
- 1Academic City
- 2Dubai Silicon Oasis
- 3International City 2
- 4International City 1Interchange
- 5Car Mart
- 6Ras Al Khor Industrial
- 7Dubai Square
- 8Dubai Creek Harbour (Emaar Properties Station)
- 9Dubai Festival City
- 10Creek (Al Jaddaf), interchange with Green LineInterchange
- 11Dragon Mart
- 12Al Warqa
- 13City Centre Mirdif
- 14Centrepoint (Al Rashidiya), interchange with Red LineInterchange
Areas affected and nearby
Areas a source places on or beside the project, or within 5 km of a mapped point, with their latest published changes.
| Area | Why it is listed | Price, 12 months | Price, 3 years | Rent, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Jaddaf | Creek Station in Al Jaddaf is the Blue Line interchange with the Green Line | +8.4% | +50.1% | +6.6% |
| Dubai Creek Harbour | Emaar Properties Station named as the line's iconic station in Dubai Creek Harbour | +5.3% | +28% | -4.7% |
| Ras Al Khor | Ras Al Khor named among areas the line serves | +2% | No comparison published | +15.3% |
| Dubai International Academic City | Dubai Academic City is the Route 1 terminus | No comparison published | +934.2%Mix shift | -39.2% |
Each change compares the average of everything registered in one period with the period before. It moves with the mix of homes sold as well as with prices, so it is not like-for-like growth. Source: Property Finder, from Dubai Land Department records. Other emirates: Bayut asking-price index.
Reported effect on property prices
Published claims, quoted with who made them and when. They are not our findings, and some come from parties with an interest, such as developers, brokers or the transport authority.
Khaleej Times reported Betterhomes data (sourced from Property Monitor and internal figures) showing rents in nine Blue Line communities rose an average of 23% since the November 2023 announcement, including Academic City 43%, Dubai Creek Harbour 30%, Al Warqa and Silicon Oasis 28%, International City 1 and 2 22%, Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 21%, and Mirdif and Dubai Festival City 15%.
The Government of Dubai Media Office reported RTA's projection that the Blue Line will appreciate the value of land and properties near its stations by up to 25%. This is a forecast, not a measured change.
In the same article, Khaleej Times reported that properties within a 15-minute walk of the existing Red Line saw price increases exceeding 25%, and about 40% for properties a 5 to 10 minute walk away. The article gives no period or data source for these Red Line figures.
Sources
- Government of Dubai Media Office: RTA awards Dubai Metro Blue Line contractRead 12 November 2026
- Government of Dubai Media Office: Mohammed bin Rashid lays foundation stone for Dubai Metro Blue LineRead 12 November 2026
- Khaleej Times: Dubai Metro Blue Line to start operations on September 9, 2029, RTA announcesRead 12 November 2026
- The National: Dubai's RTA awards $5.6 billion contract for Dubai Metro Blue Line constructionRead 12 November 2026
- RTA: About MetroRead 12 November 2026
- Khaleej Times: New Dubai Metro stations could lift land values by 15 to 30%, says RTA chiefRead 12 November 2026
- Wikipedia (pointer only, station order): Blue Line (Dubai Metro)Read 12 November 2026
Questions buyers ask
What is the status of Dubai Metro Blue Line?
Under construction (foundation stone laid 9 June 2025; RTA described the line as being implemented in September 2026).
How much does Dubai Metro Blue Line cost?
AED20.5 billion contract awarded by RTA, according to Government of Dubai Media Office.
When is Dubai Metro Blue Line due to open or be completed?
Expected start of operations: 9 September 2029, according to Khaleej Times.
Which areas are near Dubai Metro Blue Line?
Al Jaddaf, Dubai Creek Harbour, Ras Al Khor and Dubai International Academic City.
Has Dubai Metro Blue Line affected property prices?
Published claims recorded: 3. For example: Khaleej Times reported Betterhomes data (sourced from Property Monitor and internal figures) showing rents in nine Blue Line communities rose an average of 23% since the November 2023 announcement, including Academic City 43%, Dubai Creek Harbour 30%, Al Warqa and Silicon Oasis 28%, International City 1 and 2 22%, Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 21%, and Mirdif and Dubai Festival City 15% (Khaleej Times (data: Betterhomes)). These are claims by others, not measured effects.
How the atlas is built
- Every figure is copied as published by a named source, with its link, the period it covers and the date we read it. Nothing is estimated, interpolated, averaged or rounded.
- Dubai price, rent and change figures come from Property Finder's transaction pages, which publish averages of Dubai Land Department registered sales and tenancy contracts for the last 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 3 years, with a change against the period before.
- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah figures come from Bayut's asking-price index: advertised prices, not completed sales, which usually sit above transaction prices.
- ValuStrat readings are valuation-based and appear only where the press reported a community by name.
- Sources measure different things. Compare areas within one source and one period, never across sources.
- Projects and regeneration zones come from official releases where we could read them, otherwise from The National, Khaleej Times or Gulf News. A project is listed against an area when a source places it there, or when its mapped point is within 5 km of the area's point.
- Price effects of projects are published claims, attributed to the publisher. The atlas never says that a project caused a price change.
Data compiled 12 November 2026.
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