Watch: Dubai Metro Blue Line's first phase of tunneling finished in record time
Dubai’s metro expansion is being built with the help of advanced engineering technology, as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) continues to use smart construction methods to improve speed, accuracy and efficiency.
Latest techniques are being deployed in tunnelling works to support the emirate’s growing transport network and future infrastructure needs.
In a video published on Wednesday, the RTA showed how, before the metro station is built, an engineering journey unfolds underground.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Months ago, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the tunnel boring works for the Dubai Metro Blue Line. On Wednesday, the RTA informed that the first phase of tunnelling works have been completed.
The video also elaborated on how the tunnelling journey began. In 2007, the RTA introduced its first tunnel boring machines, marking a major engineering breakthrough at the time. The tunnelling works took around 7 months, with an average progress rate of 12 metres per day.
“Today, ‘Al Wugeisha’ leads a new era of development, a massive tunnel boring machine equipped with the latest digital guidance and monitoring systems, delivering higher efficiency and greater precision. The machine has achieved a record production capacity of 30 metres per day, completing the first phase of tunnelling works in just two months,” RTA said in the video.
Al Wugeisha is the tunnel boring machine that is 163 metres long, weighs more than 2,000 tonnes, and operates around the clock. Its average excavation advance rate ranges from 13 to 17 metres per day.
“In less than two decades, Dubai has doubled its capabilities, accelerated it’s achievements and set new standards in tunnel engineering. This is Dubai-it, and the Blue Line journey has just begun,” the RTA added.
Watch the video here:
The Dh18-billion Blue Line is scheduled to open on September 9, 2029, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Metro. Spanning 30km, the project features 14 stations. About half of the track will be underground, while the rest will remain above ground.
