Proposed Dubai airport express line to connect DXB, DWC with 5 new metro stations

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has invited consultants to bid for a contract to study and design a proposed 55-kilometre Airport Express Line linking Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), according to a report by MEED based on the tender issued by the RTA.

The proposed line would run from the Red Line Metro station at DXB in Al Garhoud to DWC in Jebel Ali and include five stations, stated the report. Consultants have been allowed until June to submit their proposals.

According to the report, the proposed route would pass through Al Jaddaf, run along Al Khail Road to a new station at Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), and continue to DWC. Two tracks will be branching out, with one linking JVC to Emirates Golf Club and another going towards Business Bay.

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Khaleej Times has reached out to RTA for further details on the scope, purpose and timeline of the proposed project.

The report said the proposed line could offer passengers facilities such as remote airline check-in, baggage drop-off and security screening at stations, pointing to a wider airport-rail travel concept beyond a traditional metro service.

The development comes as Dubai plans to expand rail connectivity connecting Al Maktoum International Airport, which is set to play a major role in the city’s future aviation.

The proposed Airport Express Line is separate from the planned extension of the Route 2020 Metro line to DWC’s West Terminal.

Unlike a conventional metro extension focused on serving a single airport, the proposed Airport Express points to a direct rail link between two major aviation hubs.

This link also comes with the wider metro expansion plans in Dubai, including the Blue Line and other future rail projects linked to Dubai’s long-term transport and development plans.

Once constructed, the Airport Express Line could become a link between Dubai’s two airports also serving residential and business districts along the route.

Earlier Khaleej Times reported that all operations at Dubai International are expected to move gradually to Al Maktoum International over time, with the new airport planned to handle up to 260 million passengers a year.

The proposed Airport Express Line also fits into a bigger vision for Al Maktoum International Airport, which is being developed not just as an airport, but as an urban hub with homes, businesses and supporting infrastructure in Dubai South.

Earlier Khaleej Times reporting also cited Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths as saying passengers travelling to the airport could eventually check in their bags at train stations, offering context to the remote check-in features reported as part of the proposed Airport Express Line.

DWC is also being designed with its own underground train system, while earlier plans included a 14-station automated people mover to transport passengers between terminals and concourses.

Dubai has also approved the City Terminal Project under the Dubai 10X Initiative, aimed at allowing travellers to complete check-in procedures at locations across the city before heading to the airport.