meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Traffic drives construction underground

3 April 2025

 

On 14 February, Dubai construction was thrust again onto the global stage when Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, announced plans to explore the development of an underground Dubai Loop transportation system, along the lines of the Las Vegas Convention Centre Loop project in the US.

Dubai has typically made headlines globally by constructing the world’s tallest towers. As the city becomes increasingly congested on the surface, it is taking some of its largest construction projects underground.

With Musk’s backing, the Dubai Loop scheme is the most high-profile tunnelling project launched to date. It involves carving a futuristic transport system underneath Dubai. The initial phase of the project is currently being studied by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in partnership with The Boring Company, which is owned by Musk. It will cover 17 kilometres (km) and have 11 stations, with the capacity to transport over 20,000 passengers an hour.

The project highlights the importance of expanding underground infrastructure in the Middle East region. This is mostly necessitated by the pressure that rapidly growing cities have put on existing transport and utility networks, particularly in major urban centres such as Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.

Underground opportunities

Projects that involve tunnelling, such as metro rail systems, underground highways and pedestrian walkways, are deemed key enablers in reducing congestion and optimising land use.

The recently completed metro systems in Riyadh and Doha are examples of how underground rail networks can facilitate efficient urban mobility, and more such schemes are planned. 

Without these subterranean projects, cities risk being stuck in a permanent state of gridlock, with longer commute times and decreased productivity. At the same time, tunnelling allows urban planners to integrate sustainable transport solutions, as well as large-scale utilities networks, without disturbing existing cityscapes, thereby enhancing connectivity and economic growth.

These developments signal a major shift in engineering priorities, with regional governments investing in underground transport, sewerage and metro extensions to accommodate their growing populations and infrastructure needs.

While the tower crane-dotted skylines of urban centres in the GCC attract attention, delivering major projects underground is an equally impressive engineering feat. Tunnelling under busy cities requires advanced excavation techniques, careful planning and coordination to avoid disruptions.

More tunnelling work is expected as Dubai takes another significant step forward in tackling its ongoing traffic problems [with] a new metro link

UAE tunnelling projects

Tunnelling work forms a significant portion of the Dubai Metro Blue Line extension. Awarded in December for AED20.5bn ($5.5bn), the project includes 15.5km of underground track and five subterranean stations. When operational in 2029, the Blue Line will significantly expand Dubai’s metro capacity, linking major residential and commercial hubs.

More tunnelling work is expected as Dubai takes another significant step forward in tackling its ongoing traffic problems by starting the procurement process for its next metro link: the Gold Line.

Although the technical details of the project have yet to be revealed, it is expected that tunnels will form a major component of the scheme given that the new line will run through busy urban areas where there is little space to build overground. 

The Gold Line will start at Al-Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai. It will run parallel to – and alleviate pressure on – the existing Red Line, before heading inland to Business Bay, Meydan, Global Village and residential developments in Dubailand.

As a first step, the RTA has sent a request for proposals to companies for the lead consultancy role on the multibillion-dollar project.

The UAE’s Etihad Rail also began a study of the tunnels required for the high-speed railway line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai in January. The survey works are ongoing on the Jaddaf and Dusup tunnels that will serve the high-speed rail link. Initial plans for the project include tunnelling works totalling 31km.

Another major tunnelling project in the UAE is the $22bn Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels scheme. The client, Dubai Municipality, is preparing to tender its first packages, which include deep tunnels that will stretch 42km in Jebel Ali and 16km in Warsan.

The project will be delivered under a public-private partnership model, with international consortiums competing for contracts. Once completed, these tunnels will replace the traditional wastewater network, reducing energy consumption and enhancing long-term sustainability.

Saudi schemes

In Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is preparing to expand its metro network with the addition of a Line 7 and an extension to the existing Line 2.

The total length of Line 7 will be about 65km, of which 47km will be underground. The line will have 19 stations, 14 of which will be underground.

The project involves constructing a metro line linking the Qiddiya entertainment city development, King Abdullah International Gardens, King Salman Park, Misk City and Diriyah Gate. 

In March, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) gave consortiums until 15 June to submit their bids for a design-and-build contract for the construction of Line 7.

The planned Line 2 extension is 8.4km long, of which 7.1km is underground, and three out of its five stations will be built underground. The RCRC is expected to award the construction contract this year.

In January, the kingdom also completed the phased roll-out of the Riyadh Metro network. The current network comprises six lines spanning about 176km, of which 74km is constructed underground.

These numbers indicate that over 42% of the overall network is underground, highlighting the growing importance of tunnels in the kingdom’s plans to improve infrastructure in its most densely populated cities.

Tunnelling works are also a key component of the plans to improve the stormwater drainage system in Jeddah, where the municipality is preparing for the construction of the King Abdullah Road-Falasteen Road tunnel.

The three-year scheme involves constructing 5.3km of tunnels with an internal diameter of 7.2 metres using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and another 3.4km of tunnels with a diameter of 3.5 metres driven by pipe jacking or TBMs.

At the kingdom’s Neom gigaproject, city planners are looking to find solutions to many of the problems faced in existing cities and, as a result, tunnels and large-scale underground utilities corridors are being built at the beginning of the project. For example, the development’s Delta Junction tunnels will serve as a railway junction connecting the Spine infrastructure corridor with the Neom Connector rail link to the Oxagon industrial zone. 

The project involves 26.5km of tunnelling work that will be split into a north and a south lot. The construction works are expected to begin this year as the client is evaluating the revised proposals submitted by firms in November last year.

Kuwait Metro will feature extensive tunnelling … ensuring minimal disruption to existing roads while integrating with future transport networks

Further tunnel projects

Beyond the Gulf, Egypt has a long history of tunnelling projects, as it has had to deal with crippling congestion and urban overcrowding for decades. In the 1980s, work was completed on two major projects that involved tunnelling: the first phase of the Cairo Metro system and the Greater Cairo wastewater project, which involved the construction of sewage tunnels on the east and west banks of the Nile. 

Today, Cairo’s tunnelling projects include the Cairo Metro Line 4 project. Spanning 42km with 39 stations, it involves over 20km of tunnels.

Meanwhile, in Morocco, national railway operator L’Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) is constructing a tunnel project in Rabat.

In February, ONCF announced a 3.3km tunnel to be constructed under the Bou Regreg river at an estimated cost of MD1.4bn ($140m). The tunnel will connect the Sale and Agdal stations in an effort to alleviate traffic.

Similarly, the long-awaited Kuwait Metro will feature extensive tunnelling to navigate the dense urban fabric of Kuwait City, ensuring minimal disruption to existing roads while integrating with future transport networks. 

Qatar’s expansion of Doha Metro, meanwhile, requires additional underground infrastructure to connect developing areas and support the country’s vision for a comprehensive public transport system. 

Mecca Metro, already serving millions of pilgrims, is also set for further expansion, likely involving significant tunnelling to facilitate smoother access to holy sites while overcoming geographic constraints. 

In Oman, the Muscat Metro project is likewise expected to link key districts while preserving the city’s landscape and avoiding disruptions to arterial roads by introducing underground sections. 

All of these projects show that tunnels will play an important role in the region’s future as it strives to create cities with more efficient and environmentally sustainable transit and utilities systems. 

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13561811/main.gif
Yasir Iqbal

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square

    17 September 2026

    Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company and local developer Aldar have completed the acquisition of Masdar City Square at Masdar City, in a transaction valued at AED918m ($250m).

    The deal was executed through their joint venture established in 2024.

    Masdar City Square comprises more than 47,000 square metres (sq m) of net leasable area across seven office buildings.

    Completed in Q1 2026, the development is 99% occupied. Tenants include Taqa, the Department of Energy, Emirates College and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The transaction expands the joint venture’s real estate portfolio in Masdar City, which is now valued at AED4.7bn ($1.3bn).

    Masdar City is one of the region’s leading hubs for clean energy, artificial intelligence, advanced research and sustainable urban development.

    The joint venture acquired The Link project at Masdar City for AED654m ($178m) in April.

    Comprising about 32,000 sq m of net leasable area across five buildings, The Link is fully leased to a portfolio of major tenants, including Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The asset includes Grade A, Leed Platinum office space, a net-zero-energy headquarters building, a multi-use hall and residential accommodation, supporting its position as a high-performing, integrated component of Masdar City.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748241/main5814.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Dubai announces new 80km highway corridor

    16 September 2026

    Dubai has approved the construction of the new fourth corridor, a major highway programme aimed at boosting inter-emirate connectivity, increasing road capacity and easing congestion.

    The corridor will extend 80 kilometres, from Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al-Shanouf Road in Sharjah.

    It will include 12 lanes, 72 bridges and 17 tunnels.

    The project is expected to reduce travel times by up to 60% and serve more than 3.1 million people, while providing links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

    It will have the capacity to accommodate 24,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.

    The project will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, running from Al-Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, will be delivered at a cost of AED3.5bn ($953m).

    The second phase will stretch from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi.

    The scheme adds a fourth spine to a network that has long relied on three main corridors: the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road/Al-Ittihad Road); the E311 (Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road) and the E611 (Emirates Road), which together carry more than 850,000 vehicles commuting between Dubai and the northern emirates daily.

    That concentration has made the route one of the country’s most congested, with peak-hour bottlenecks a persistent problem for residents. The new corridor is designed to divert a significant share of that traffic onto a higher-capacity route, rather than add pressure to the existing network.

    The project also aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which anticipates population growth to 5.8 million by 2040 and calls for the expansion of roads, railways, airports and ports to support that growth and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global trading hub. This is reflected in the corridor’s direct links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19725878/main.jpeg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Engineering progresses on Ras Laffan LNG terminal berths

    16 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Front-end engineering and design (feed) works are progressing on a QatarEnergy LNG project to build 13 liquefied natural gas (LNG) loading berths at the south export terminal in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.

    Ras Laffan Industrial City, which lies about 90 kilometres north of Doha, is the world's largest integrated LNG production and export complex, comprising 15 processing trains with a total capacity of 77.5 million tonnes a year (t/y). QatarEnergy began LNG operations at the facility, which houses all its processing trains and export infrastructure, in 1984.

    According to sources, QatarEnergy LNG, a subsidiary of state enterprise QatarEnergy, awarded the feed contract for the project to build 13 LNG berths at the south export terminal at Ras Laffan to Australia-headquartered Worley.

    The contract was awarded to Worley in the second quarter of this year. Its duration is estimated to be 200,000-250,000 man hours, sources told MEED.

    Ras Laffan’s LNG processing and export capabilities will increase by up to about 63% when the three phases of QatarEnergy’s estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion project come into operation by the end of this decade. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on all three projects are progressing.

    QatarEnergy is understood to have committed nearly $30bn to the first two phases – North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) – which will lift Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028.

    QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for NFE in 2021. The project was intended to raise LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda and France’s Technip Energies.

    In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for NFS to a consortium of Technip Energies and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). The contract includes two LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

    Once fully operational, the first two phases are expected to add 48 million t/y of LNG supply to the global market.

    QatarEnergy took the final investment decision on the third phase, North Field West (NFW), this year, awarding an EPC contract estimated at $8bn to a joint venture comprising Technip Energies, CCC and Gulf Asia Contracting in February.

    Chiyoda carried out the feed work for the NFW LNG project.

    The NFW scope covers the EPC of two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 16 million t/y, as well as associated facilities for gas treatment, natural gas liquids recovery and helium extraction.

    In addition to LNG, NFW is expected to produce about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day of condensate, ethane and liquefied petroleum gas.

    With all three phases under EPC execution – and NFE scheduled for commissioning later this year – QatarEnergy is positioning itself to remain one of the world’s largest LNG suppliers in the long term.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19715235/main5946.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Design completed for Libyan oil field development

    16 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Design work has been completed for a project to develop Libya’s I/R oil field, according to industry sources.

    The front-end engineering and design work was completed by a team in the London offices of Italy’s EniProgetti and paves the way for the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to be tendered.

    One source said: “At the moment, there is no fixed date for when the invitation to bid for the main contract will be issued, but the project has a lot of momentum and is progressing towards tendering.”

    The I/R oil field is located in Murzuq Basin in southwestern Libya.

    In June this year, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed a unified operating agreement for the field.

    The I/R field is operated by Akakus Oil Operations, which is a joint venture of NOC in partnership with Spain’s Repsol, France’s TotalEnergies Repsol, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor.

    The agreement in June was signed by NOC as well as its concession partners.

    NOC said the agreement would unify operational and administrative procedures related to field management, optimise resource utilisation and support production sustainability.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19711588/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Chinese contractor wins Qiddiya e-games arena

    16 September 2026

     

    Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has awarded an estimated $600m-$700m contract to build an e-games arena, also known as the Fortress Arena, at its Qiddiya Entertainment City development outside Riyadh.

    The contract was awarded to Beijing-headquartered Metallurgical Corporation of China.

    The scope of work covers the construction of an auditorium with a capacity of about 5,100 seats, as well as commercial areas, hospitality facilities and other associated infrastructure.

    The e-games arena will provide space for local, national and international competitions.

    MEED understands that QIC tendered the contract in January, with bids submitted in March.

    Completion is expected by April 2029.

    US-based architectural firm Populous designed the project, supported by New York-based Thornton Tomasetti.

    The project is located in District 18, Upper Plateau, in Qiddiya City.

    The Fortress Arena is one of several major projects within the wider Qiddiya development.

    Other projects include the Dragon Ball theme park, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a horse racing venue, a performing arts centre, the Speed Park, the National Tennis Centre and the Six Flags theme parks and Aquarabia waterpark.

    The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has grown significantly in recent years.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19661939/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal