The project will covers 24 kilometres in Dubai, with a total cost of nearly Dhs2.5bn
Dubai’s super-fast underground transport dream is edging closer to reality.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said construction on the Musk-backed Dubai Loop project would begin “immediately”, according to a news flash from Reuters.
Developed with The Boring Company, the project will deliver an underground transport network spanning 24 kilometres across the city, at a total cost of nearly Dhs2.5bn.
“The project covers 24 kilometres in Dubai, with a total cost of nearly Dhs2.5bn,” Al Tayer said.
“The first phase will start immediately, with Dhs600m allocated to six kilometres,” he added.
According to Al Tayer, the initial phase is expected to be completed within two years.
The Dubai Loop is designed as an underground electric transport system aimed at easing congestion along some of the emirate’s busiest corridors. The project is being developed with the tunnelling company founded by Elon Musk, which specialises in underground transport infrastructure.
Strategic Partnership between RTA and The Boring Company to Study the Implementation of Dubai Loop.@elonmusk |@boringcompany | @rta_dubai pic.twitter.com/HNHxecjlfG
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 13, 2025
The announcement revives Dubai’s long-standing ambition to pioneer ultra-fast transport solutions, following nearly a decade of experimentation with hyperloop-style concepts.
In 2016, Dubai positioned itself as one of the earliest global advocates of hyperloop technology, unveiling proposals that promised passenger speeds of more than 1,000 km/h. Early studies included a proposed Dubai–Abu Dhabi route that aimed to cut travel time between the two cities to around 12 minutes.
Those plans, however, didn’t move beyond pilot and feasibility stages. Hyperloop One, one of the most prominent companies involved in early projects, ceased operations in 2023, effectively ending the first wave of global hyperloop experimentation.
Unlike those earlier proposals, Dubai Loop adopts a more incremental and deliverable model. Rather than vacuum-sealed tubes and extreme speeds, the system relies on underground tunnels transporting electric vehicles — a concept already deployed by The Boring Company in Las Vegas.
If completed as planned, Dubai Loop would mark the first international deployment of Musk’s Loop system outside the US and one of the clearest signs yet of Dubai translating long-held transport ambition into concrete infrastructure.
https://gulfbusiness.com/musk-backed-dubai-loop-immediately-rtas-al-tayer/