Dubai has launched a tender for a design contract to extend the city’s Metro Red Line by three kilometres to Al Maktoum International Airport. The move signals a new phase in plans to connect the fast?growing airport with the urban rail network. The procurement, which seeks detailed design work rather than construction, sets out the next steps to establish a direct rail link to the airport site in the south of the city. According to International Railway Journal, the tender calls for proposals to shape the alignment, station works and systems needed to carry the Red Line to the terminal area. No construction start date or opening timeline has been announced as part of this design tender.
The extension would deliver a short, targeted addition to the network focused on airport access. A three?kilometre run indicates a gap between the current Red Line corridor and the Al Maktoum International Airport site that planners now intend to close through a dedicated link.
Design scope centres on alignment and systems integration
The design contract covers the technical groundwork that precedes any construction award. In practice, this phase defines the route alignment, track geometry, interfaces with existing infrastructure, station location and layout, and the integration of power, signalling and communications. Designers also prepare environmental studies, access plans and construction staging proposals so that future works can proceed without disrupting current operations more than necessary.
For a driverless urban metro, systems integration forms a major part of the design. The contractor will need to ensure compatibility with the Red Line’s rolling stock, platform systems and train control. The design brief typically also includes civil structures, utilities diversions and provisions for future capacity, although the detailed scope will sit within the tender documents. No budget figure has been made public, and no procurement for construction has been issued at this stage.
Airport access sits at the heart of the extension
The three?kilometre link targets Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai’s second airport and a growing aviation hub. Today, travellers reach the airport mainly by road, using private cars, taxis and bus services. A rail connection would add a fixed?link option, offering predictable journey times and an alternative to road traffic. The short distance indicates a connection between the existing Red Line corridor and the airport boundary rather than a long new branch through undeveloped land.
Airport rail links typically require design solutions tailored to airline passengers, luggage flows and shift patterns for airport staff. The design team will need to plan platform access, lifts, escalators and wayfinding with those needs in mind. The tender stage defines these requirements so that future construction can deliver an operationally efficient station environment from day one.
Red Line integration and operational considerations
The Red Line forms the backbone of Dubai’s metro network and already reaches the city’s south?western corridor near Expo City Dubai. Extending it to Al Maktoum International Airport would add an airport station to that corridor, expanding the Red Line’s role as a connector between key transport and economic zones. The design will need to maintain seamless interchange with existing stations and preserve headways and capacity across the line.
Operational planning will form part of the design. This includes timetable integration, turnback facilities if required, and resilience measures to avoid service disruptions when trains serve the airport. Because the project remains at the design?tender stage, no details have been announced on service frequency, first and last train times, or fare structures. Those aspects usually follow later in the project cycle, once detailed design and construction contracts progress.
Fit with wider development at Al Maktoum International Airport
City authorities announced plans in 2024 to expand Al Maktoum International Airport with a major new passenger terminal and associated aviation facilities. A rail link aligns with those plans by adding public transport capacity at the airport site. By moving forward with design procurement now, the transport authority creates a pathway for future construction once design, approvals and funding align.
While the airport’s development has a multi?year horizon, a three?kilometre metro connection is a discrete scope that can be advanced when design work, land access and utilities coordination are ready. The tender avoids setting a commissioning date and focuses on the technical steps needed to prepare the project for later stages.
Procurement steps and next milestones
The design tender opens a competitive process where qualified firms submit technical and financial proposals. Evaluators will review design methodologies, team experience, delivery schedules and cost. Award of the design contract would then allow surveys, preliminary and detailed design, and tender drawings for any subsequent construction package.
No information has been released on the tender’s closing date, prequalification requirements or award criteria. These details sit within the procurement documents circulated to bidders. Once a designer is appointed, the authority can develop a clearer programme for design completion and any subsequent works, subject to separate approvals and funding decisions.
Implications for routes, stations and access
A short extension focused on airport access suggests limited new intermediate stations and a clear end?point at the terminal area. The design will determine whether the link uses an at?grade, elevated or underground alignment, based on land constraints, aviation safety zones and interfaces with airport roads and facilities. The project team will also plan temporary works and site access so that airport operations continue without interruption during any future construction.
Passenger access planning will address kerbside arrangements, drop?off zones, bus interchanges and taxi ranks at the airport station. The design will consider emergency egress, fire safety systems and security screening requirements inside the rail footprint in coordination with airport authorities. These elements are essential to meet regulatory standards before any construction proceeds.
What this means
For travellers, a future Red Line link to Al Maktoum International Airport would add a rail option alongside existing road?based transport. It would enable direct access between the airport and the wider metro network, improving connectivity to business districts, residential areas and visitor sites already served by the Red Line. For operators, the project begins the technical process needed to integrate an airport station into an automated metro system, including signalling, platform systems and operations planning.
For the local community and workforce, a rail link would support daily commuting to jobs at the airport and surrounding logistics and service zones. However, the current step is a design tender, not a construction award. Travellers should expect no immediate changes to services or access arrangements. Timelines, costs and service details will follow only after design work progresses and further contracts are let.
When and where
Dubai issued the design tender for the Red Line airport extension during the week commencing 19 January 2026. International Railway Journal first reported the tender on 22 January 2026.
The current update covers the launch of a design procurement process for a three?kilometre Red Line extension to Al Maktoum International Airport. It does not include timelines, costs, or construction awards. Further information will become available as the design contract is awarded and technical work proceeds, and as the authority releases more details on delivery phasing, station specifications and operational plans. This article reflects the scope and limits of the announcement at the time of reporting.
