The line will include a 4km underground section including two underground stations with the remaining 11km and five stations elevated. Tendering for the project will start in July and is part of the Road Transport Authority's (RTA) integrated plan for roads and transport projects to serve the Expo event, which is expected to host 25 million people. The line will serve areas including Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estate, and the Dubai Investment Park, with the journey from Dubai Marina to the Expo site taking 16 minutes.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, has endorsed the project and instructed RTA to begin work immediately.

Mattar Al Tayer, RTA chairman and executive director, says RTA examined various options for the project assessing their effectiveness and impact on neighbourhoods based on a host of technical parameters, adding that the extension will serve to ease traffic congestion and provide better connections to underserved neighbourhoods.

"Route 2020 will offer safe and smooth mobility to the visitors of Expo 2020 and residents of [Dubai's] neighbourhoods as well," Al Tayer says. "It stands out as a vital transport corridor linking various Dubai districts with Al Maktoum International Airport."