Dubai Loop will start work on a 22km transport network with a first phase connecting DIFC and Dubai Mall.
The UAE is racing ahead with its futuristic transport ambitions, with the first two locations for the Dubai Loop, a high-speed underground transit network that will whizz users across the city in record times, announced. The Elon Musk-backed project’s first tunnels will connect four stations between DIFC and Dubai Mall, it was confirmed this week, capable of transporting passengers in just three minutes.
The announcement was made by Matar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the board of executive directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), at the World Government Summit on Tuesday, 3 February, making Dubai the second city in the world to adopt The Boring Company’s Dh2.5 billion ($680 million) tunnel project after Las Vegas.
Work on the 22-kilometre loop, which will feature 19 stations, is underway. As more details start to emerge, we take a look at everything we know so far about the Dubai Loop.
What is the Dubai Loop?
The Dubai Loop is one of the city’s most ambitious transport projects to date: an underground network of high-speed tunnels designed to carry passengers across the city in electric vehicles (whether that will be Teslas, pods or autonomous shuttles has not yet been confirmed). Initially announced during the 2025 World Government Summit, it’s being developed by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with Elon Musk’s tunnelling firm The Boring Company.
Why is Dubai building the Loop?
With Dubai’s population surging, car ownership rising and road congestion intensifying, the city is going underground for solutions. The Loop is part of the government’s plans to make transport faster, cleaner and more efficient while reducing pressure on the road network. Officials have described it as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, the city’s existing metro, tram and bus systems. The plan also supports Dubai’s 20-Minute City goal under the 2040 Urban Master Plan, which aims to make most daily journeys achievable in 20 minutes or less using sustainable forms of transport.
When will the Dubai Loop open?
The RTA announced at the 2026 World Government Summit that contracts had been signed for the initial phase of the Dubai Loop, with work to begin immediately with expected completion within one to two years. Work on subsequent phases of the project could begin soon after. More
