Elon Musk's 'Dubai Loop' expected to open in 2026

Elon Musk's tunnelling company will finish building the first section of its underground transit system in Dubai next year, the UAE's Artificial Intelligence Minister Omar Al Olama has said.

The Boring Company and Dubai's government announced plans to construct the 'Dubai Loop' in February.

The company said the first phase of the project will cover 17 kilometres and transport 20,000 passengers an hour.

"The first loop is going to be operational, we’re hoping, by the second quarter of 2026," Al Olama told Bloomberg.

The minister said the system would be expanded to include "multiple loops" but did not mention how long the project would take or how much it would cost.

The Dubai Loop would be only the company's second successful project. Las Vegas currently hosts the only functioning 'Loop', where Tesla taxis drive passengers between eight stations beneath the city.

The project is one of several in the Gulf pursued by the right-wing tech billionaire since the US president entered the White House in January.

His satellite internet company Starlink has expanded in the UAE and Saudi Arabia while Neuralink – which has devised an experimental brain–computer interface - launched clinical trials in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

His flagship Tesla EV brand launched in Saudi Arabia several months ago. Musk has also held discussions with Saudi officials about constructing Boring Company tunnels in the kingdom and introducing robotaxis.