A 55km Airport Express Line linking Dubai International Airport with Al Maktoum International Airport
Dubai has never exactly been shy about thinking big when it comes to transport.
Now, the city is planning a train line that could make travelling between its two major airports considerably less complicated.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has received six bids for the design and construction of the proposed Airport Express Line, a 55km railway that will eventually connect Dubai International Airport (DXB) with Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
And yes, that means passengers could one day hop on a train at one airport and travel across the city to the other without having to negotiate Dubai traffic, hunt for a taxi or wonder whether they should have left three hours earlier.
The RTA has not yet announced when the line will open.
The planned route will feature five stations, beginning at DXB and travelling through Al Jaddaf before continuing along Al Khail Road. It will then head towards Jumeirah Village Circle, where it will connect with the planned Gold Line Metro station, before continuing towards DWC in Dubai South.
There will also be two branch connections from the JVC station. One will head towards Business Bay, while another will link up with Al Fardan Exchange Metro station near Dubai Marina.
So, while the headline attraction is the airport-to-airport connection, the project could also become a useful new way of getting around some of Dubai’s busiest areas.
And things get even more interesting at the stations. According to reports, passengers could eventually be able to check in for flights and drop off their luggage before reaching the airport.
In other words, the dream is to make the journey to the terminal feel less like airport admin and more like simply getting on a train.
The six companies and consortiums bidding for the project are Aecom/Surbana Jurong, AtkinsRéalis, Jacobs, Parsons/Arup, Systra/Egis and WSP. All have previous experience working on major infrastructure projects in the UAE, including Etihad Rail, Dubai Metro and Expo 2020.
The project is particularly significant because Dubai is preparing for a major shift in its aviation landscape. Plans are already under way to gradually move airport operations from DXB to DWC from 2032, once the first phase of its enormous expansion is complete.
DWC is ultimately planned to become the world’s largest airport, with a staggering capacity of 260 million passengers a year, 400 boarding gates and five parallel runways. Emirates is also expected to make the mega-airport its new home.
The Airport Express Line is just one part of Dubai’s growing rail ambitions. The emirate is also progressing with the Blue and Gold Metro Lines, while Etihad Rail is preparing to expand passenger services.
A future high-speed connection is also planned between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the journey expected to take just 30 minutes by 2030 and include a stop at Zayed International Airport.
For Dubai, then, the future of getting to the airport increasingly looks like it involves rails rather than roads.
And frankly, anything that makes airport journeys less stressful sounds like a pretty good destination in itself.
