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Six groups have submitted proposals to Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) for a contract to study and design the Airport Express Line, which will extend from Dubai International airport (DXB) in the Garhoud area to Al-Maktoum International airport (DWC) in the Jebel Ali area.

The proposed line will stretch about 55 kilometres and include five stations, providing passengers with facilities such as remote airline check-in, baggage drop-off and security screening.

The bidders are:

• Aecom / Surbana Jurong (US/Singapore)
• AtkinsRealis (Canada)
• Jacobs (US)
• Parsons / Arup (US/UK) 
• Systra / Egis (France)
• WSP (Canada)

The new line will run from the Red Line metro station at DXB through Al-Jaddaf, along Al-Khail Road to a new station at Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), before continuing to DWC.

There will be two spur lines. The first will run from the new JVC station to Al-Fardan Exchange metro station at Emirates Golf Club, while the second will branch towards Business Bay, where another station will be built.

The new line appears to follow a similar route to the Etihad Rail high-speed railway project, which is under construction and is due to be completed by 2030.

The Airport Express Line scheme is the latest metro project to be tendered by the RTA this year. The RTA has also issued a request for qualification notice for a contract to build the new Gold Line, as part of its expansion of the Dubai Metro network.