Dubai Metro to reach Al Maktoum International Airport by 2031
The line will serve the airport that is to take over all of Dubai International’s commercial flights between 2032 and 2035.
Dubai will extend its Metro to Al Maktoum International Airport City, with trains due to start running in 2031. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, approved the project on 10 November, The National and Gulf News reported.
The extension is part of a package of projects worth more than 11 billion dirhams ($3 billion, about ₹26,000 crore) approved at a meeting of Dubai’s Executive Council. The cost of the Metro line alone was not given.
The new line extends Route 2020, now a 15 km branch of the Red Line that links Jebel Ali station with Expo City Dubai, according to The National.
Why it matters
Dubai plans to move all commercial flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Al Maktoum International (DWC), in Dubai South, between 2032 and 2035, The National reported. DXB is one of the busiest airports in the world for Indian travellers, and the UAE is home to more than 35 lakh Indians.
A Metro link would give passengers and the people who work at the new airport a rail connection to the rest of the city.
The length of the extension and the number of stations were not announced.