Dubai is making steady headway towards connecting its sprawling metropolis to its rapidly expanding population. In addition to the widely traveled red and green metro lines, Dubai Metro is set to inaugurate a blue line in September 2029 to supercharge accessibility and travel across the emirate.

A Turkish Chinese consortium has won the tender to pioneer the construction of Dubai Metro’s highly anticipated blue line. The blue line is drafted to consist of 14 new stations that will connect nine key areas in across Dubai to the existing, and fully operational red and green metro lines.

An Anatolian news agency reported the participation of Turkish companies, Mapa and Limak, and their Chinese counterpart, CRRC in the awarded joint consortium. The tender was sanctioned by the Dubai Road and Transport Authority, for a proposed cost of $6.5 billion, deducting added tax value from the bid.

This new metro line will stretch for 30 kilometers and connect key neighbourhoods like Mirdif, Dubai Festival City, and Dubai Silicon Oasis to the rest of Dubai’s public transport grid. The Dubai government forecasts the blue line to accommodate upwards of 320,000 UAE passengers daily by 2040. The blue line’s 2029 inauguration aligns with Dubai Metro’s 20th anniversary, marking Dubai Metro’s goal to feature sustainability at the forefront of civil advancements across the emirate. The blue line will be the first transport project in Dubai to comply with platinum-grade green building standards, according to the RTA.

At present, Dubai boasts 64 metro stations spread across 84 square kilometers. This number is expected to hot 140 metro stations with a cumulative reach of 228 square kilometers by 2040.