Formed in November 2005 by decree of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is the government statutory body tasked with planning and providing an integrated, sustainable, and world-class transport system for the Emirate of Dubai. Employing thousands of engineering, administrative, and operations specialists, RTA acts as the client, asset developer, tendering authority, and regulator of Dubai’s transport ecosystem.

RTA’s Rail Agency oversees all railway infrastructure in Dubai. The agency was responsible for commissioning the iconic Dubai Metro network—which opened in September 2009 and holds the record as one of the longest automated driverless metro systems worldwide—as well as the Dubai Tram, which was the first tramway system outside Europe to utilize an Alstom APS ground-level power supply and platform screen doors across all stations. RTA procures global turnkey EPC/Design-Build consortia and licenses specialized operations and maintenance contractors (such as the Keolis-MHI Joint Venture) to operate its networks.

RTA is spearheading the Dubai Metro Blue Line megaproject—a 30-kilometer urban rail corridor integrating 14 stations (including iconic underground and elevated interchanges) to connect major development hubs across the city—alongside extensive digitalization initiatives, autonomous transit trials, and sustainability programs targeting net-zero public transport emissions by 2050.