[1] It runs from Centrepoint (formerly Rashidiya) in the east to Expo 2020 in the west and travels parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road for most of its length.

In 2010, the Red Line carried a total of 38.888 million passengers with a daily average of about 149,000 people, according to the RTA Statistics Office.

[6] As part of the Expo 2020 development in Dubai, an extension of the Red Line named Route 2020[7] announced in December 2015 and originally due to be completed mid-2019.

The extension project created a new section of the line from Jabal Ali to the Expo 2020 site, near Al Maktoum International Airport.

[9] The track layout east of Jabal Ali station was modified to create a new branch and one additional platform to serve the new route.

[citation needed] The line was formally inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Ruler and UAE Prime Minister, on 8 July 2020.

[citation needed] The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has benefited significantly from businesses along the routes of the Red and Green lines sponsoring nearby stations.

Moreover, several other stations on the Red Line have been named after local and international corporate giants, including, Emirates Airlines, GGICO, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (Al Karama), First Abu Dhabi Bank, Sharaf DG, Nakheel Properties, DAMAC Properties (Dubai Marina), Danube (Jebel Ali Industrial) and Mashreq.