Nearly two decades after Dubai’s first Metro tunnels were constructed beneath the city, tunnelling operations have more than doubled in speed with the introduction of advanced smart engineering technology for the Dubai Metro Blue Line project, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The RTA said advanced engineering solutions have remained central to Dubai’s underground infrastructure development since the launch of the Metro project. The authority continues to use smart technologies and digital systems to improve the efficiency, accuracy and safety of tunnelling works while developing infrastructure for future transportation needs.
The latest 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 Blue Line. The RTA confirmed that the first phase of excavation has now been completed.
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The RTA said Dubai’s tunnelling journey began in 2007 with the deployment of the first tunnel boring machines for the original Metro project. At that time, the machines were considered a major engineering achievement, with excavation progressing at an average rate of around 12 metres per day and taking nearly seven months to complete tunnelling works.
For the Blue Line, the RTA is using Al Wugeisha, a next-generation tunnel boring machine equipped with advanced digital guidance and monitoring systems. The machine has increased excavation capacity to around 30 metres per day, allowing the first phase of tunnelling to be completed in just two months.
Weighing approximately 2,000 tonnes and measuring 163 metres in length, Al Wugeisha operates as a complete underground production system rather than just a drilling machine. It can excavate soil, remove extracted material and automatically install tunnel lining segments, enabling continuous and highly precise construction.
The RTA said the rapid progress highlights Dubai’s significant advancement in tunnelling capabilities over less than two decades, as work continues on the Dubai Metro Blue Line project.
