Dubai is officially moving ahead with one of its most ambitious transportation projects yet, announcing the immediate start of construction on the Dubai Loop, an underground tunnel network developed in partnership with The Boring Company.
The project, first announced last year, will rely exclusively on Tesla vehicles and is designed to ease congestion across some of the city’s busiest corridors while laying the groundwork for a much larger network.
The first phase of the Dubai Loop will consist of a 6.4-kilometre (4 mile) pilot route featuring four underground stations. This initial segment will connect the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) with Dubai Mall, placing major commercial, retail, and tourism hubs just minutes apart via an underground electric transport system.
According to Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, construction on this phase is starting immediately, with completion targeted within two years.
This initial stage is designed to unlock a broader rollout of the network, with the full alignment stretching 22.2 km (14 miles) and featuring 19 stations that link Dubai World Trade Centre and the financial district with Business Bay.
The system is expected to eventually handle up to 30,000 passengers per day, while the pilot phase alone could serve approximately 13,000 daily riders.
Technically, the Dubai Loop will closely mirror The Boring Company’s existing Loop system operating in Las Vegas. The tunnels will have a diameter of 3.6 metres and are purpose-built for vehicle transport, allowing Teslas to shuttle passengers point-to-point without intermediate stops.
