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Dubai receives bids for underground city study

2 October 2025

 

Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has received bids from consultants for a feasibility study on the development of tunnels and caverns across the emirate.

The bidders are:

  • Arup (UK)
  • AtkinsRealis (Canada)
  • Egis (France)
  • WSP (Canada)
  • Jacobs (US)
  • Dar Al-Handasah (Shair & Partners) (Lebanon)
  • Aecom (US)
  • Surbana Consultants (Singapore)

The study will examine the use of underground city spaces in Dubai to enhance transportation links and connectivity. This could include road tunnels, utility corridors and underground pedestrian passageways connecting different parts of the emirate.

Cities with extensive underground networks, such as Hong Kong and Toronto, can prevent congestion at ground level and, in the case of pedestrian spaces, provide climate‑controlled environments. 

Elon Musk

Underground construction in Dubai hit the headlines earlier this year, when the RTA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Elon Musk-backed firm The Boring Company to explore developing the Dubai Loop transportation system.

The initial phase of the Dubai Loop project is 17 kilometres (km) long. It will have 11 stations and the capacity to transport more than 20,000 passengers an hour.

The signing ceremony was held on 13 February on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai.

The Dubai Loop is expected to be similar to The Boring Company-developed Las Vegas Convention Centre (LVCC) Loop project in the US. It is understood that the planned route includes a tunnel connecting Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) with the Downtown area and Business Bay.

The LVCC loop is a 2.7km system of underground tunnels that connect different convention centre halls, reducing the walking time across the site to about two minutes.

READ MORE: Dubai construction heads underground

Congestion is a growing challenge in Dubai. The emirate’s population crossed the four-million mark in September for the first time. Such rapid demographic growth is exerting considerable pressure on the public transport system, necessitating enhancements to accommodate rising demand.

In response, Dubai has been investing heavily in road and metro projects. It has awarded multiple major road construction contracts this year, and the 2025 total is expected to be the largest on record, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects.

Metro projects

For the metro, Dubai awarded a AED20.5bn ($5.5bn) main contract for the construction of the Blue Line extension in December last year.

The extension will transport 320,000 passengers a day and serve a population of about one million people living in areas such as Festival City, International City, Rashidiya, Warqa, Mirdif, Silicon Oasis and Academic City.

More recently, Aecom was awarded the consultancy contract for the planned Metro Line 4 project, also known as the Gold Line.

These projects aim to reduce reliance on road transport and improve the overall transport infrastructure. Cutting journey times is a key facet of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which includes the 20-Minute City Policy. This policy seeks to ensure that 80% of residents’ daily needs can be met within a 20-minute journey on foot or by bicycle, further emphasising the need for efficient public transit solutions.

READ THE OCTOBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

Private sector takes on expanded role; Riyadh shifts towards strategic expenditure; MEED’s 2025 power developer ranking

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

> AGENDA 1: A new dawn for PPPs
To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
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Colin Foreman

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