Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is studying an integrated underground network to move people, goods, and services beneath the city, but it hasn’t said where it would run, what it would cost, or when it could open. Gulf News reports that RTA director general Mattar Al Tayer revealed the plan on Tuesday at the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, describing underground transport as a new area of exploration for the authority.
One of three dimensions
Al Tayer framed the idea as the third layer of a strategy built around the ground, the sky and underground. He said the planning question should shift from “How do we move?” to “Where can we move?” At ground level, Gulf News says Dubai aims to make one in four journeys autonomous by 2030, and autonomous taxis have covered more than four million kilometres in a single year. In the air, Dubai began exploring air taxis in 2016, with the first air taxi station and an urban test flight scheduled for this year.
The case for going underground rests on demand. The National reports that Dubai records more than 11 million road journeys a day, and the number of people moving around the city during daylight hours is expected to double by 2040. Al Tayer also tied the plan to land use, saying it would redefine how space is used and open up investment opportunities. The video shown alongside his talk, according to The National, featured buses on an underground road network, metro trains and pods gliding into stations.
Nothing fixed yet
Details are thin. Arabian Post reports that the initiative remains under study, with no implementation timetable, investment estimate or detailed alignment announced. That also means nothing has been said about connections to other emirates, so commuters in Sharjah, Ajman or Abu Dhabi shouldn’t expect an announcement of that kind soon.
What’s already moving is a set of separate projects. What’s On notes that Etihad Rail began passenger journeys this summer, linking Dubai with Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Sharjah. It also reports that the planned Dubai Metro Gold Line, set for September 2032, would run 42km with 18 stations from Jumeirah Golf Estates to Al Ghubaiba and be Dubai’s first fully underground metro line.
Dubai Loop is the nearest comparison
The closest thing to an underground network today is Dubai Loop, which the RTA is building with Elon Musk’s The Boring Company. What’s On says construction has started, with the first service covering parts of DIFC and Dubai Mall before growing to 19 stations over 22km. The National puts the first phase between DIFC and Dubai Mall at USD 153.8 million, and the full network at an estimated Dh2 billion. We covered the company’s wider regional ambitions in our report on The Boring Company’s USD 3 billion raise for 150km of UAE tunnels.
Is the underground network approved?
No. The RTA says a team is examining the proposal, and reports so far describe it as a study with no announced timetable, budget or route.
Will it carry passengers only?
No. Al Tayer described a system for people, goods, and services, a broader remit than the metro.
What can I actually ride underground in Dubai soon?The
Dubai Loop is already under construction, starting with DIFC and Dubai Mall. The Gold Line is the planned underground metro, with What’s On citing September 2032.
