Dubai Loop is part of a larger plan to innovate the transport sector, utilising a network of advanced tunnels that will allow passengers to quickly travel across the city, avoiding traffic congestion.
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications and Vice Chair of the World Governments Summit 2025 (WGS), and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announced the launch of the “Dubai Loop,” an ambitious project aimed at implementing a fast and seamless transportation system across Dubai’s most densely populated areas.
The announcement came during a video call at the WGS, where Musk presented his vision for the future of urban mobility. “Dubai Loop” is part of a larger plan to innovate the transport sector, utilising a network of advanced tunnels that will allow passengers to quickly travel across the city, avoiding traffic congestion.
Musk explained that the project would allow people to travel as if they were moving through a “wormhole” within Dubai, referring to the ability to move instantly between two points without long distances or traffic delays.
He also emphasised the advantages of tunnel systems over alternatives like flying cars, citing the practicality, safety, and efficiency of tunnels, which are protected from weather and noise, offering a smoother experience for passengers.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and US-based firm The Boring Company to study the implementation of the ‘Dubai Loop’ tunnel project.
The proposed 17-kilometre tunnel, featuring 11 stations, is designed to transport over 20,000 passengers per hour. It is part of a long-term plan to construct a citywide loop transportation network.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA; and John Hering, Lead Investor and Senior Advisor to The Boring Company, in the presence of senior officials from both sides.
HE Al Tayer said: “The MoU aligns with the directives of the leadership to forge partnerships with leading global companies, reinforcing Dubai’s position at the forefront of advanced and sustainable mobility solutions. It aims to implement cutting-edge technologies, foster innovative transport solutions, and create a dynamic ecosystem for the advancement of transportation technologies. Additionally, the agreement facilitates knowledge and expertise exchange to develop transportation systems tailored to the city’s evolving needs.”
He added that the technology used in the system offers rapid execution, lower costs than conventional tunnelling methods, and minimal impact on existing infrastructure and road networks.
Meanwhile, during the discussion with Al Olama, Elon Musk spoke about improving government efficiency, pointing out that the biggest challenge lies in reducing bureaucracy and enhancing the technology used within government institutions.
The billionaire tech highlighted the strong public support for such reforms in the United States, stressing that the main goal is “reducing the size of government” and “making the government much more accountable to the people”.
He noted that the expansion of laws and regulations has led to excessive restrictions, making nearly everything illegal, and argued that improving government efficiency involves not just reducing costs but also moving government employees to higher-value roles in the private sector, thus increasing overall productivity and improving citizens’ living standards.
On practical steps to achieve this goal, Musk suggested, “I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind,” adding, “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”
He emphasised that this approach would lay the foundation for long-term economic prosperity, potentially reducing government deficits and significantly lowering inflation.
Musk suggested that the US could save a trillion dollars by addressing bureaucracy and cutting back on federal agencies and regulations. He also pointed out the technological problems within government systems, noting that many rely on outdated technologies that don’t communicate with each other, leading to significant waste in resources and time.
He also talked about his AI chatbot “Grok 3” which is in the final stages of development and will be released in about a week or two. “Grok 3 has very powerful reasoning capabilities, so in the tests that we’ve done thus far, Grok 3 is outperforming anything that’s been released, that we’re aware of, so that’s a good sign,” he added.
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