How AI Is Replacing Rail Inspectors in Dubai

In pursuit of its vision to transform Dubai into a global smart city, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has introduced ARIIS, an autonomous, AI-powered robot designed to inspect metro tracks and infrastructure across the city’s driverless rail network.

This innovation is part of a broader shift in how Dubai approaches infrastructure maintenance, favoring proactive, data-driven systems over reactive, manual processes. By embedding AI into essential services like rail safety, RTA aims to reduce risk, enhance service reliability, and optimize operational resources across its rapidly expanding public transport system.

What’s New

• ARIIS stands for Autonomous Rail Infrastructure Inspection System. It utilizes advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to scan tracks, detect structural anomalies (such as cracks or faults), and automatically flag maintenance needs.

• The system has reduced inspection man-hours from 2,400 to just 700—a 75% improvement—while significantly improving detection accuracy and operational safety.

Why It Matters

Dubai’s deployment of ARIIS is more than a technical upgrade—it’s part of a broader strategy to modernize transport infrastructure through automation and AI.

The move reflects RTA’s commitment to smarter, safer, and more efficient public services. ARIIS also supports Dubai’s AI 2031 Strategy, which aims to embed artificial intelligence across government operations.

Beyond improving metro safety, the initiative helps free up human inspectors for higher-value tasks while reducing long-term maintenance costs.