Billionaire tech founder Elon Musk is behind the landmark new transport system…

Say goodbye to sitting in Sheikh Zayed Road traffic: a futuristic new underground is set to change the way we travel in Dubai. Announced this week at the World Government Summit in Dubai, the Dubai Loop is a landmark new underground road system, and it’s being developed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk’s The Boring Company has signed a deal with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to build the Dubai Loop project, which will see cars zip around Dubai on an underground network at up to 160km per hour.

How will the Dubai Loop underground work?

The Dubai Loop will span 17km, and it will be a high-speed tunnel that covers the most congested areas of Dubai. Some 11 stations will sit along the Dubai Loop, designed to transport over 20,000 passengers per hour.

Although a route map won’t be provided for a while, it’s likely to drastically reduce travel time in key areas around the city like Downtown and Dubai Marina.

Speaking on the project, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai commented, “the city continues to redefine the future of transportation, both above and below ground, setting new benchmarks for sustainability, efficiency, and urban connectivity.”

But it’s not just about reducing travel time, the Dubai Loop also looks to work towards the UAE’s sustainability efforts. Utilizing electric vehicles for the Dubai Loop goes hand-in-hand with the city’s Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

Elon Musk’s Boring has already developed something similar in Las Vegas, with a loop connecting five stations within the Las Vegas Convention Centre. Construction is underway to expand it to more than 50 stations to connect around Vegas.

The future of travel in Dubai

It’s not just the Dubai Loop set to ease our travel woes across the city. New transport systems including flying taxis, driverless taxis, a rail-bus, Etihad Rail network and sea gliders are among the futuristic modes of transport coming to Dubai soon.

Image: The Boring Company