Dubai Targets To Have 140 Metro And Trem Stations In 2040

Dubai Metro. (Wikimedia Commons/Team Adams)

JAKARTA - Dubai Authority, United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month announced plans to increase the number of metro stations and trams by 2024.

The expansion project is part of a broader economic strategy launched during the Dubai Executive Council meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and First Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

Dubai currently has 55 Metro - 35 stations on the red line and 20 on the green line - as well as 11 tram stops, according to the Dubai Road and Transport Authority website, which operates the emirate's rail network.

"This number will be increased to 96 stations that span 140 kilometers by 2030," the Dubai Media Office said in a statement.

"The call to cover 140 stations over 228 square kilometers by 2040," the statement said, quoted by The National News July 10.

The expansion project is key to efforts to develop areas around Dubai Metro stations to support the emirate's vision for the '20-minute city'.

The blueprint includes an increase in the portion of public transportation by up to 45 percent, reducing carbon emissions by up to 16 tons per capita, improving the quality of public space to encourage pedestrians, and increasing shady areas.

The action plan will also focus on increasing the population of areas around the station and increasing the number of residential, commercial, office, and service rooms around Metro, attracting users, and increasing economic space.

Work on Dubai Metro Blue Line will begin this year, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in February.

Set to change the city's northeastern region, the 18 billion UAE dirham project will feature 14 stations and add 30 km of the Metro network, more than half of which are underground.

"This year will witness the implementation of the Dubai Metro Blue Line project," explained RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer.

Al Tayer said Metro contributed the largest proportion of users of public transport, transportation, and taxis last year, by 37 percent.

RTA said the combined number of public transport passengers and joint mobility, including Dubai Metro, trams, buses, sea transportation, and taxis reached around 702 million, up 13 percent from 621.4 million in 2022.

Once completed, Blue Line will connect the five main urban areas of Dubai, Bur Dubai and Deira, Urban and Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Marina and JBR and Expo City Dubai.

It is known, this project is scheduled to be completed in 2029, to coincide with Dubai Metro's 20th birthday.