Dubai Metro Blue Line tunnelling has completed its first phase, with the Roads and Transport Authority saying the work finished two months after His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched tunnelling works.

Dubai Metro train entering World Trade Centre Station
Illustrative photo of a Dubai Metro train entering World Trade Centre Station. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Tim Wu / CC BY-SA 4.0

Dubai Metro Blue Line tunnelling progress

The authority said the result reflects a sharp improvement in tunnelling performance compared with the early Dubai Metro works. When the ⁠first tunnel boring machines were deployed for the original metro project in 2007, tunnelling works took about seven months and progressed at an average rate of around 12 metres per day.

For the Blue Line, the work is being carried out by ⁠Al Wugeisha, a new-generation tunnel boring machine fitted with advanced digital guidance and monitoring systems. According to the RTA, the machine has increased excavation capacity to about 30 metres per day, enabling the first phase to be completed in two months.

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Al Wugeisha tunnel boring machine

Al Wugeisha weighs around 2,000 tonnes and is 163 metres long. The RTA said the machine works as an integrated underground production system, combining excavation, removal of excavated material and automatic installation of tunnel lining segments in one continuous, highly precise process.

Dubai Metro Blue Line Tunnelling Phase Done
The milestone comes two months after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the tunnelling works for the Dubai Metro Blue Line. gulfnews.com

Advanced engineering technologies have been central to Dubai Metro tunnel construction since the project’s early years, the authority said. It added that smart solutions and sophisticated digital systems are being used to improve the efficiency and precision of underground works as Dubai builds infrastructure intended to meet future transport needs.

The wider Dubai Metro Blue Line project ⁠covers 30 km and includes 14 stations. RTA says the line will include interchange points with the Green Line at Creek Station, the Red Line at Centrepoint Station and Dubai International City Station 1. The project is scheduled for completion in 2029, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Dubai Metro. It is also planned to provide a direct connection between Dubai International Airport and nine areas along the route, including Mirdif, Al Warqa, International City 1 and 2, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Academic City, Ras Al Khor Industrial Area, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Festival City.

The RTA said the technological advances achieved in less than 20 years reflect the rapid development of Dubai’s tunnelling capabilities as work continues on the Dubai Metro Blue Line project.

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