Dubai to tackle dense traffic issue with Musk's underground loop system

Elon Musk’s Boring Company is set to begin implementing an underground tunnel network in Dubai aimed at improving passenger mobility in the emirate’s high-density urban areas.

The agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) marks the company’s first underground project outside the United States, according to a statement from the US firm.

The transport initiative, known as the Dubai Loop, was signed with the RTA on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2026 earlier this month.

The Dubai Loop is designed to cause less surface disruption than conventional transport systems while also allowing for a faster construction timeline.

As per the RTA's press release, the implementation of the Loop's first phase will commence with the construction of a 6.4-kilometre pilot route, comprising four stations and linking the Dubai International Financial Centre and Dubai Mall, two key areas in the Emirate.

"This phase will pave the way for expansion into the full project alignment, which will extend up to 22.2 km and include 19 stations, connecting Dubai World Trade Centre and the financial district with Business Bay," they revealed.

The Dubai Loop project involves the construction of 3.6 metres wide tunnels to be used for vehicle transport.

The project cost of the pilot phase is estimated at about $154 million, with delivery expected roughly one year after design work and preparatory activities are completed. The overall cost for the Dubai Loop network is projected to cost approx. $545 million with a three-year timeline for construction.

As Musk's company describes it, the Loop network is an express public transportation system that resembles an underground highway more than a subway system. It is an all-electric, zero-emissions, high-speed underground public transportation system in which passengers are transported to their destination with no intermediate stops.

The Boring Company argues that the system can easily be integrated in busy city centers, parking garages, and residential communities as the stations require a small footprint. This high density of stations will distribute Loop vehicles and foot traffic across many access points, providing more convenient entry and exit locations and reducing congestion in populated areas.

The company has already constructed one such system in the US city of Las Vegas with a loop similar to what has been announced for Dubai, while several more are in the stage of planning or construction.

By Nazrin Sadigova