His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the Dubai Metro Blue Line, marking a significant step forward in the city’s public transport development. The 30-kilometre line, which will feature 14 stations, is expected to enhance connectivity across nine major districts that are projected to house over one million residents, in alignment with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
His Highness also gave his approval for the unique architectural design of the Emaar Properties Station, set to become the tallest metro station globally at 74 metres. The structure, conceptualised as a crossing gateway, was designed by the acclaimed American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), renowned for creating landmark structures including the Burj Khalifa, the Olympic Tower in New York, and Chicago’s Sears Tower.
The station has been thoughtfully designed to complement the existing cityscape and reflects the vision of ‘Dubai: A Gateway to the Future’. Spanning around 11,000 square metres, it will have the capacity to serve up to 160,000 passengers daily, with usage forecast to surpass 70,000 commuters per day by 2040. Upon completion of the Blue Line, Dubai’s rail infrastructure will grow to 131 kilometres, encompassing 78 stations and 168 trains.
On his arrival at the ceremony, His Highness was received by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority. The event commenced with His Highness viewing a historical exhibit that paid tribute to the vision of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who had envisaged a metro system connecting various districts of Dubai. The display included archival photographs from His Highness’s visits to several global capitals, alongside rare images of him using the UK’s railway system, where the idea of introducing a similar initiative in Dubai first took shape.
