RTA completes first phase of Dubai Metro Blue Line tunnelling in just two months

Dubai: Nearly two decades after the first tunnels of the Dubai Metro were carved beneath the city, tunnelling speeds have more than doubled as the emirate deploys a new generation of smart engineering technology for the Blue Line project, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The authority said the adoption of advanced engineering technologies has been a cornerstone of tunnel construction since the Dubai Metro project was launched, adding that it continues to introduce smart solutions and sophisticated digital systems to improve the efficiency and precision of underground works while building infrastructure designed to meet future needs.

The milestone comes two months after His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the tunnelling works for the Dubai Metro Blue Line. The RTA said it has now completed the first phase of excavation.

The authority traced the evolution of tunnel construction in Dubai back to 2007, when the first tunnel boring machines were deployed for the original metro project. 

At the time, the machines represented a major engineering breakthrough, with tunnelling works taking around seven months and progressing at an average rate of about 12 metres a day.

Today, the Blue Line is being excavated by Al Wugeisha, a new-generation tunnel boring machine equipped with advanced digital guidance and monitoring systems. 

The RTA said the machine has increased excavation capacity to about 30 metres a day, enabling the first phase of tunnelling works to be completed in just two months.

Weighing around 2,000 tonnes and stretching 163 metres in length, Al Wugeisha functions as more than a tunnel boring machine. 

The authority said Al Wugeisha is a fully integrated underground production system capable of excavating, removing excavated material and automatically installing tunnel lining segments, allowing construction to continue as a continuous, highly precise process.

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 Blue Line project.