Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has signed a deal with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to build Dubai Loop, a high-speed underground travel system. The announcement was made at the 2026 World Governments Summit.
The project will use autonomous electric vehicles travelling at 150 km/h, aiming to fix traffic in busy areas. It is reported that this road network will allow people to complete a trip from DIFC to Dubai Mall in just 3 minutes.
The construction of the Dubai Loop will start in the second half of 2026. The first section will be 6.4 kilometres long and will have four main stops: ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC 2, Dubai Mall Zabeel Parking, and Burj Khalifa. The company will use a special ‘Prufrock-3’ machine to dig, ensuring minimum disturbance during construction.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General of the RTA, noted during the signing, “The project represents a qualitative addition to Dubai's transport ecosystem, as it enhances integration between different mobility modes and provides flexible and efficient first- and last-mile solutions.”
This first phase will cost approximately AED 565 million and will be capable of transporting 13,000 people every day. The path will later grow to 22 kilometres with 19 stations in total, eventually connecting the Dubai World Trade Centre and Business Bay.
According to TOI, the complete 22-kilometre system will cost AED 2 billion, which is cheaper than building a traditional subway. However, the system can only transfer 13,000 people a day, while Dubai’s public transit usually carries millions. Can this small system really help? The RTA says yes. The new tunnel can help fix specific ‘traffic traps’ rather than replace the Metro.
The Dubai Loop is a major project for Elon Musk as it is his first undertaking outside the United States. Success depends on TBA’s collaboration with the Dubai Metro.