Dubai Metro Blue Line: route, stations and the communities it serves (2026)

The Blue Line is Dubai's third metro line, after the Red and Green Lines. It is 30 km long with 14 stations, and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to open it on 9 September 2029.

The line serves eastern Dubai, an area the metro does not reach today. The RTA says it links nine key districts that will be home to about one million people by 2040, under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

About 15.5 km of the line runs underground and 14.5 km on elevated track. It crosses Dubai Creek on a 1.3 km bridge, the first metro crossing of the creek.

This guide sets out the route, stations, timeline and official figures, then the communities along the line and the off-plan projects on sale in each.

The line runs as two routes that meet at International City 1. Route 1 is 21 km with 10 stations, from Creek on the Green Line to Academic City. Route 2 is 9 km with 4 stations, from Centrepoint on the Red Line to International City 1.

Three interchanges. Creek connects with the Green Line in Al Jaddaf. Centrepoint connects with the Red Line in Al Rashidiya, at the Red Line's eastern end. International City 1 is where the two Blue Line routes meet.

The biggest stations. The Dubai Media Office describes International City 1 as the largest underground interchange in the network, over 44,000 square metres with capacity for about 350,000 riders a day. Emaar Properties Station in Dubai Creek Harbour is 74 m tall and about 11,000 square metres, and is described as the world's tallest metro station.

The opening date is 9 September 2029, the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Metro. In May 2026 the Dubai Media Office reported the project 20% complete, with 30% targeted by the end of 2026.

Tunnelling. The first tunnel boring machine, named Al Wugeisha, is 163 m long and weighs more than 2,000 tonnes. It advances 13 to 17 m a day, around the clock. The Dubai Media Office says three machines will bore from International City 1 towards Mirdif, the Auto Market and Al Warsan (International City 2).

The creek bridge. Piers for the 1.3 km bridge over Dubai Creek were under construction in May 2026.

Factories on site. The RTA has set up concrete batching plants and precast yards at Al Ruwaiyah 3 and International City. The International City factory produces 12 tunnel rings a day; the Al Ruwaiyah yard produces 10 to 12 viaduct segments a day.

• Riders. The RTA forecasts about 200,000 passengers a day by 2030, rising to 320,000 by 2040.
• Residents served. About one million people in the districts on the line by 2040.
• Students. The RTA expects more than 50,000 university students in Academic City by 2029.
• Fleet. The metro and tram fleet grows from 140 to 168 trains, 157 metro and 11 tram, as the network grows from 101 km to 131 km.
• Traffic. The RTA expects congestion on the line's main road corridors to fall by 20%.
• Benefits. The RTA estimates economic benefits of more than AED 56.5 billion by 2040.

The route, station names, length, opening date, contract and forecasts are confirmed by the RTA. What you need to check for a particular home is the station's exact position and the walk to it.

The Dubai Media Office says direct journeys to Dubai International Airport from the areas the line serves will take about 20 minutes. The RTA's December 2024 announcement gave 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the area.

Other journey times are not published station by station. As a guide, the Blue Line connects to the Red Line at Centrepoint and to the Green Line at Creek, so trips to Downtown Dubai, Business Bay and Dubai Marina will involve one change. Allow for the transfer when you estimate a commute.

The line serves eastern Dubai, from the creek at Al Jaddaf and Dubai Festival City, through Dubai Creek Harbour and Ras Al Khor, to International City, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Academic City, with a branch through Mirdif and Al Warqa. Each community below has a live table of the off-plan projects we track there.

Al Jaddaf (Creek interchange)

Al Jaddaf is the freehold district on the western bank of Dubai Creek, next to Dubai Healthcare City. Creek station is already on the Green Line; the Blue Line makes it an interchange and carries riders across the creek. See our Al Jaddaf area page.

Dubai Festival City

Dubai Festival City is the waterfront district on the eastern bank of the creek, where the line lands after the bridge. It gets its own Blue Line station. For homes in nearby districts, see all off-plan projects.

Dubai Creek Harbour

Dubai Creek Harbour is Emaar's 6 sq km community beside the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. Its station, Emaar Properties Station, is designed for up to 160,000 passengers a day and is expected to serve about 40,000 residents of the community. Our Dubai Creek Harbour area page has every project, and our guide to Dubai Creek Tower covers the landmark at its centre.

Ras Al Khor

Ras Al Khor sits at the inland head of Dubai Creek around the protected wildlife sanctuary. The RTA lists the Ras Al Khor Industrial Area among the districts the line serves. Its residential side is next to Sobha Hartland. See our Ras Al Khor area page.

International City and Al Warsan

International City is Nakheel's master community of low-rise apartment clusters in the Al Warsan district. The RTA puts it at over 200,000 residents and visitors. It has two stations, including International City 1, the interchange between the two routes, and one of the tunnel boring machines heads from there towards Al Warsan. See our International City and Al Warsan area pages.

Dubai Silicon Oasis

Dubai Silicon Oasis is a technology free zone at the junction of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and the Dubai–Al Ain Road, with a large residential population inside its boundary. It gets its own station on Route 1. See our Dubai Silicon Oasis area page.

Academic City

Dubai International Academic City, the education free zone on the Dubai–Al Ain Road, is the end of Route 1. The RTA expects more than 50,000 university students there by 2029. See our Academic City area page.

Mirdif, Al Warqa and Al Rashidiya

Route 2 serves established residential districts north of International City. Centrepoint, in Al Rashidiya, is the existing terminus of the Red Line and becomes the interchange; Mirdif and Al Warqa each get a station. Off-plan launches here are fewer; ask us for current options, or browse all off-plan projects and the latest launches.

The metro is a useful fact to weigh, alongside the building, the developer, the price and your own commute. It is not a reason to pay more than comparable homes are selling for.

Check where the station is. A community "on the Blue Line" can be large. Ask for the station's position on the RTA's plans and measure the walk from the building you are considering. A long walk in summer changes how useful the station is.

Compare dates. The line opens on 9 September 2029. If your building completes before then, plan your commute without it for the first years. If it completes later, the station may be open when you move in.

Expect works nearby. The RTA's project page lists 11 traffic diversions so far. Building works near stations and along the viaduct can affect roads and noise for a period, so ask the developer what works are planned near your plot.

Price on comparables. Use Dubai Land Department registered sales for similar homes in the same community. Our guide to Dubai's areas and districts compares communities across the city.

1. Find the station site on the RTA's plans and measure the walk from your building.
2. Read your completion date in the sale and purchase agreement and compare it with 9 September 2029.
3. Check the project's registration and escrow account with the Dubai Land Department before you pay. Our guide on how to check an off-plan project and developer explains how.
4. Plan your commute with the change. Most city-centre trips will involve a change at Creek or Centrepoint.
5. Ask about works nearby. Viaduct, station and road works may continue near your building after handover.
6. Compare prices fairly with similar homes nearby, not with claims about future values.
7. Budget for the whole purchase. Fees, the handover payment and service charges are in our guide to the true cost of buying off-plan, and the buying steps in how to buy off-plan property in Dubai.
8. Consider your budget band. Many homes in these eastern communities fall in the under AED 1 million and AED 1 million to 2 million bands.

The Blue Line is one of three major projects announced for Dubai's rail and tunnel network. Each has its own date.

The Gold Line was approved in April 2026; its announced interchanges are with the Red Line at Business Bay and Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Green Line at Al Ghubaiba, and Etihad Rail. The Dubai Loop is covered in our guide to the Dubai Loop.

Open the area page for the community you are considering: Dubai Creek Harbour, Al Jaddaf, International City, Dubai Silicon Oasis or Academic City. If you want a home that is ready closer to the opening date, browse projects by handover year.