Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed the first phase of tunnelling for the Dubai Metro Blue Line.
The RTA says that nearly 20 years after the first Dubai Metro tunnels were built, tunnelling speeds have more than doubled as the emirate deploys a new generation of smart engineering technology for the Blue Line project.
It says the first machines represented a major engineering breakthrough, with tunnelling works taking around seven months and progressing at an average rate of about 12m a day.
TBM Al Wugeisha, a 163m-long, new-generation machine equipped with advanced digital guidance and monitoring systems, was launched in May and has advanced at about 30m a day.
The authority says the adoption of advanced engineering technologies has been a cornerstone of tunnel construction since the Dubai Metro project was launched. It says it continues to introduce smart solutions and sophisticated digital systems to improve the efficiency and precision of underground works.
The Blue Line will be a 30km route with 15.5km underground and a 14.5km stretch above ground. It features 14 stations including three interchange stations, seven elevated stations and four underground stations. It will connect with the Green Line at Creek Station and the Red Line at Centrepoint Station and serve nine key districts.
