Arabian Post Staff -Dubai
Parsons Corporation has been appointed by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority as the Project Management Consultant for the forthcoming Metro Blue Line, under a five-year agreement. The firm will lead design evaluation, procurement facilitation, construction oversight, testing and commissioning, ending with the handover of the system. The line is projected to enter service by September 2029, covering 30 km with 14 stations, and is a core part of Dubai’s D33 Economic Agenda geared towards completing the city’s next-generation transport network by 2033.
The Metro Blue Line, spanning from Centrepoint on the Red Line through Creek station on the Green Line and reaching Academic City, is expected to serve up to 320 000 passengers daily. It will connect key zones such as Mirdif, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Creek Harbour and Festival City, reinforcing the mobility framework outlined in the 2040 Urban Master Plan.
Pioneering the metro’s expansion, the Blue Line received approval on 24 November 2023 from Dubai’s Vice President and Ruler, reflecting a total investment of AED 18 billion. This strategic vision anticipated a launch coinciding with the metro’s 20th anniversary.
Parsons brings to this contract more than 80 years of global infrastructure and transport systems expertise, and over six decades of regional presence. In Dubai, the firm has supported RTA projects since 2005—from the Metro Red and Green lines and Route 2020 to the Intelligent Traffic Systems Centre and Infinity Bridge—delivering over 100 roads, bridges and tunnels.
Chief among Parsons’ tasks is aligning technical design with RTA standards, streamlining tender processes, supervising contractor performance, and ensuring operational readiness through rigorous testing. Their involvement utilises advanced project controls to ensure on-time, safe delivery—a critical measure as Dubai moves toward its D33 viability targets.
In his capacity as President, Infrastructure EMEA, Pierre Santoni emphasised the importance of Parsons’ long-standing local partnership and its commitment to delivering “innovative technology” and “world‑class transportation systems” in collaboration with the RTA team.
Malek Ramadan Mishmish, Director of Rail Planning and Project Development at the RTA, welcomed Parsons aboard, citing their established delivery record in the emirate and reaffirming Dubai’s aspiration to embrace “smart and sustainable transportation” in line with its ambitions to become the world’s “smartest and happiest city”.
The Blue Line is positioned to deepen the integration of Dubai’s transport ecosystem, with interchange stations at Centrepoint and Creek enabling connectivity across the Red, Green and Blue lines, and future linkages into the Etihad Rail network. As an element of the broader D33 Economic Agenda and the 2040 Urban Master Plan, it is expected to redefine sustainable urban mobility and support anticipated demographic expansion.
Risks inherent to large-scale infrastructure development include potential for budget escalation, complex oversight and synchronization with civil contractors. However, Parsons’ selection underscores the RTA’s continued confidence in its capacity to deliver against these challenges, building on its proven project delivery lineage in Dubai.
With completion forecast by 2029, the Blue Line aims to expand the daily ridership beyond current figures—around 755,000 across the Red and Green lines in 2024—with 320,000 passengers expected to onboard the new route alone.
