Dh34bn Gold Line Metro by 2032

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved Dubai Metro’s Gold Line on April 22, 2026, putting an AED34 billion price tag on what Dubai officials described as the emirate’s largest sustainable transport project. The line is planned to run 42 kilometres through 18 stations and open on September 9, 2032, according to the Roads and Transport Authority and the Dubai Media Office. Officials said the route will be Dubai’s first fully underground metro line, built at a depth of 40 metres in some sections. The project adds another major build-out to a rail network that already includes the Red and Green lines, with the Blue Line under construction. ### What exactly did Dubai approve? The April 22 approval covered a new Gold Line for the Dubai Metro network, not an upgrade to an existing route. The Roads and Transport Authority said the line will extend more than 42 kilometres and include 18 stations. Sheikh Mohammed said the project would connect 15 strategic locations in Dubai, serve 1.5 million people and support mobility across 55 mega development projects under construction. (rta.ae) He also said the Gold Line would expand the Dubai Metro network by 35% by the time it is completed. ### Why is the Gold Line being described as different from the current network? Dubai officials said the Gold Line will be the city’s first fully underground metro line. The RTA said the route will connect with both the Red and Green lines and integrate with Etihad Rail, linking Dubai’s urban transit system with the UAE’s national rail network. (rta.ae) The 40-metre depth cited by Sheikh Mohammed is one of the project’s defining engineering details. In the official announcement, he called it “Dubai’s largest transport project” and set the inauguration date for September 9, 2032. ### How fast does Dubai want this built? (rta.ae) September 9, 2032 is the target opening date set out in the government announcement. The RTA said Sheikh Mohammed directed the immediate commencement of the project and described the delivery schedule as 30% faster than the timetable for Dubai Metro’s Blue Line. (rta.ae) That timetable gives the project a little more than six years from approval to inauguration. Dubai officials did not, in the announcement reviewed, publish a full station-by-station construction schedule or a contract award list. ### Who is being asked to work on the project now? (rta.ae) The Roads and Transport Authority has already opened a process for qualified companies interested in the design and build of the Gold Line. On its investment promotion page, the authority said the project would be a new addition to the Red, Green and Blue lines of the Dubai Metro rail network. The RTA page said applicants were asked to submit an expression-of-interest form, a trade license, company profile, passport copy for the authorized representative and evidence of relevant track record. (rta.ae) The submission deadline listed on that page was July 31, 2026. ### How does this fit into Dubai’s wider transport build-out? The Gold Line comes as Dubai continues to expand rail capacity alongside large real-estate and population growth plans. (rta.ae) In the official announcement, Sheikh Mohammed said the project would support mobility across 55 mega developments now under construction. The RTA’s investment page also places the Gold Line alongside the Blue Line, which it described as under construction. That means Dubai is planning the Gold Line while still building another major metro extension, rather than waiting for the current pipeline to finish first. July 31, 2026 was the deadline listed by the RTA for design-and-build expressions of interest, and September 9, 2032 is the inauguration date set out by Sheikh Mohammed. (rta.ae) The next public milestones are likely to be contractor selection and detailed route delivery steps from the Roads and Transport Authority. (mediaoffice.ae) (rta.ae)