The string of transport-related updates coming out of the World Governments Summit 2025 happening in Madinat Jumeirah has left our heads spinning. Hot on the heels of a new Rail Bus project’s launch, the RTA has announced they’ve signed a deal with Elon Musk to build the Dubai Loop – ‘wormhole-like tunnels’ that will cut through traffic in congested areas of the city.
Plans for this project were revealed during a virtual appearance by the tech billionaire during a session with Omar AlOlama, UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications.
Dubai Loop – wormhole-like underground tunnels
“It’s going to be like a wormhole, from one part of the city, boom, and you’re at another part of the city, and it’s great. We look forward to his partnership,” said Musk.
Entering a tunnel in Bur Dubai and emerging in JBR within minutes sounds like a dream, but we’ll have to hold tight until more details are shared. Here’s what we do know.
Speeds of up to 160km/hr
Similar to the Las Vegas Loop, these highspeed tunnels will built by The Boring, the tycoon’s low-cost sub-surface transport company. These high-speed tunnels will allow commuters to travel between parts of Dubai in half the time it usually takes. The Boring Company’s website lists potential speeds of up to 160km for the Dubai Loop.
They’ve also outlined how the system aims to have a high capacity that can handle over 100,000 passengers per hour. This loop system is also going to be eco-friendly using only electric vehicles to shuttle passengers to and fro aligning with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. The Vegas Loop, for one, uses Musk’s Tesla cars.
Safer than flying taxis and cars
Musk also highlighted how underground transport is a better alternative to travel by flying taxis and cars which are dependent on weather conditions and can be disrupted by sandstorms and blizzards.
The existing Las Vegas Loop is a network of tunnels that run under the convention centre 40 feet below the ground. It currently features five stations and 70 Tesla vehicles with expansion plans to increase that number to a 100 stations and driverless cars.