Dubai in the desert is ready to do big things again. On June 22, 2026, MEED, a Middle Eastern business media outlet, exclusively disclosed that the Dubai Road Traffic Authority (RTA) had issued a notice that the Dubai Metro Gold Line, which was planned to be tendered for construction, had officially started pre qualification as a general contractor. Prospective bidders must submit pre qualification documents before August 17. UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, personally confirmed on social media that the total investment of the project is approximately 34 billion dirhams (equivalent to 9.2 billion US dollars), making it the largest single urban rail transit project in Dubai's history.

The winning general contractor is not only responsible for the design and construction of the entire civil engineering, mechanical and electrical equipment, railway vehicles, and track systems, but also needs to assist in system maintenance and operation for the first three years after completion. With such a large scale and responsibility, the Golden Line undoubtedly becomes a super benchmark for the global rail transit industry in 2026. At present, the project has selected American engineering company Aecom as the owner consultant, fully involved in conceptual design, preliminary design, bidding document preparation, construction supervision, and defect liability period services.

Basic parameters of the golden line and urban significance

The Golden Line is Dubai's first fully underground subway line, with some sections reaching up to 40 meters underground, and will be constructed using large shield tunneling machines. The total length of the line exceeds 42 kilometers, with 18 stations, crossing 15 key areas in Dubai - starting from the old city of Al Ghubaiba, passing through Mina Rashid, City Walk, Business Bay, Mohammed bin Rashid City Al Barsha South、 The Jumeirah Village Circle, extending to Jumeirah Golf Estates, directly benefits approximately 1.5 million residents and connects 55 large-scale real estate projects under construction. After completion, it will be connected to the existing red and green lines, while also linking to the Etihad Railway passenger line at Meydan and Jumeirah Golf Estates, increasing the total length of Dubai Metro to approximately 162 kilometers. The project is scheduled to be completed and put into operation in September 2032.

The RTA launched this time is the pre qualification review for EPC (Design Procurement Construction) general contracting. Unlike the traditional sub standard model that only focuses on civil engineering, the Golden Line requires the general contractor to coordinate underground tunnels, station structures, power supply and communication signal systems, fully automated unmanned vehicles, and track systems, and promises to provide three years of operation and maintenance assistance after opening - which puts extremely high demands on the contractor's investment and financing capabilities, technical integration capabilities, and overseas project performance experience.keywords:Foreign construction news network

Opportunities for Chinese enterprises to go global and team building speculation

In recent years, Chinese rail transit enterprises have made great achievements in Dubai - CRRC and Türkiye won the bid for the Dubai Metro Blue Line Project at the end of 2024, which has verified the ability of Chinese enterprises to implement large-scale general contracting in the local area. RTA officials have also repeatedly expressed their welcome to more Chinese enterprises to participate in subsequent projects. Faced with the comprehensive standard of "civil engineering+system+vehicle+three-year operation and maintenance" such as the Golden Line, the industry generally expects that Chinese enterprises will most likely participate in the international consortium: the central enterprise of Zhongzi Tou Infrastructure will provide shield tunneling and underground engineering construction capabilities, domestic vehicle and signal system manufacturers will provide core equipment, and third-party partners with Middle Eastern experience will be matched to meet local qualification and performance requirements. Who can ultimately form a team and be shortlisted will be the focus of industry attention in the coming months.Editor/Yang Meiling