The scorching desert sun shone on the tower crane by Dubai Creek, and on the 30 kilometer long Blue Line construction site, the roar of the shield machine had not stopped. Another smoke free battle had already ended in the office. In July 2026, the first phase of excavation for the Blue Line tunnel had just been successfully completed. Now, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has shifted its focus from building houses to the long-term operation and maintenance contract for the metro Blue Line, which will last for decades after its opening. Three consortia have been shortlisted, and the final decision will be made by the end of the year. The industry estimates that the contract amount will exceed $2 billion, fluctuating with the agreed deadline.

Three Kingdoms team up to compete for orders

T&E Technologies, a subsidiary of Israel's Eltel Corporation, has entered the final round of a consortium with Al Shafar Group from the United Arab Emirates and DMRC, the Delhi Metro Corporation from India. The division of labor is very clear: DMRC has a solid operational foundation, managing personnel, ticketing, safety, and daily driving; Al Shafar is familiar with local regulations and business practices; Technical maintenance of Eltel's line related systems. The identities of the other two finalists are still masked, but RTA only recognizes the results and does not care which flag the winner is.

What is the magnitude of the blue line

The blue line is not an ordinary extension cable. With a total length of 30 kilometers, 14 stations are underground and elevated, including a bridge across the Dubai River. In December 2024, the construction contract (20.5 billion dirhams, about 5.6 billion US dollars) was awarded to the consortium of Türkiye MAPA, LIMAK and CRRC. CRRC provided 28 driverless trains, and the communication signal was Casco. China Railway was equipped with 9.61 meter shield machines, and Sany Heavy Industries provided equipment. It is planned to open on September 9, 2029, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Dubai Metro. After completion, the rail transit network will be extended from 101 kilometers to 131 kilometers, with an increase in 78 stations. The distance from the airport to the line will be reduced to 20 minutes. By 2040, the daily passenger flow will reach 320000, and congestion along the line is expected to decrease by 20%.

The calculation behind 2 billion

A $2 billion maintenance package that sells stable cash flow for the next few decades. RTA has cut construction and operation into two parts: the construction has been locked in by the CRRC consortium, and the operation and maintenance team has recruited talented personnel to facilitate the introduction of Indian commuting density management experience, Israeli system maintenance capabilities, and local compliance resources in the UAE. For bidders, winning the blue line is like setting up a model room in the Middle East, and future rail transit operation and maintenance orders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman will look back at this sign.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

From shield tunneling to ticketing systems, the Blue Line binds companies from China, Turkey, Israel, India, and the United Arab Emirates onto the same chain. When RTA announced the winning bidder at the end of the year, what was more worth seeing than $2 billion was who could truly streamline cross-border division of labor - after all, after the subway was electrified, 320000 people would not care about the color of the national flag every day, only about whether the cars came or not and whether the air conditioning was cold or not.Editor/Yang Meiling