A global consortium tasked with designing and building the Dubai Metro Blue Line has agreed a Dh3.9 billion ($1.06 billion) financing deal, in a “key milestone” for the emirate's flagship public transport project.
Leading UAE bank Emirates NBD will provide the substantial loan – which it described as syndicated bonded facilities – to the group made up of Turkish companies Mapa and Limak and China's CRRC.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority awarded the contract for the development of the rail expansion scheme to the consortium in December.
The RTA this month appointed engineering company Parsons in a project management role for the Blue Line, which will include design review and construction supervision.
The major rail plan is critical to Dubai's efforts to boost connectivity and encourage drivers to shift to public transport to ease congestion, amid the emirate's population boom.
The Blue Line is scheduled to open in September 2029, marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of Dubai Metro.
The Dh20.5 billion project will include 14 new stations, connect with the existing Green and Red lines, and serve expanding neighbourhoods such as Mirdif, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai International City.
It will add 30km to the Metro network, 15.5km of which will be underground. When completed, the Metro network will be 131km long with 78 stations served by 168 trains.
The ambitious public transport drive is central to the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which has easier commuting among its priorities.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said the Blue Line would connect five principal urban regions – Bur Dubai/Deira, Downtown/Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Marina/JBR and Expo City Dubai.
“The Dubai Metro Blue Line Project is a milestone undertaking that will strategically and significantly empower the continuous development of the emirate by providing a rising population with new, efficient, accessible and reliable public transportation and mobility solutions,” said Ahmed Al Qassim, group head of wholesale banking at Emirates NBD.
Murathan Doruk Gunal, vice president and chief executive of Mapa, said the finance package is a significant step forward for the scheme.
“The successful closing of the financing with Emirates NBD marks a key milestone and reflects the trust placed in our consortium’s ability to deliver complex, high-impact projects,” he said.
“At Mapa, we remain committed to contributing our engineering expertise and project-execution capabilities to support Dubai’s vision of sustainable and integrated urban development.”
Serdar Bacaksız, board member at the Limak Group of companies, added: “This financing agreement with Emirates NBD is a crucial milestone, empowering us to bring our global expertise, insights and innovative solutions to life, and contribute to Dubai's ambition for a seamlessly connected, sustainable city.”
Transport master plan on track
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced that work was under way on the Blue Line in June.
He wrote on X that the foundation stone for the line’s first station has been laid, in the Dubai Creek Harbour area, adding that it represents an “architectural icon”.
It will be called the Emaar Properties station and will be the world's tallest metro station at 74 metres.
Sheikh Mohammed said the Dubai Metro had transported more than 2.5 billion people since its launch, at an average of 900,000 per day, and the new route would be a “major addition” to the emirate’s transport infrastructure. “We continue to develop the city … we continue to build the best city to live in the world,” he said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
