The Boring Company has signed its first contract outside the United States, partnering with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to build an underground tunnel network as part of one of the world’s most ambitious urban transportation projects.
The agreement, confirmed at the World Governments Summit 2026, will bring Elon Musk’s tunneling technology to the Middle East through the Dubai Loop, a system designed to move passengers through 12-foot-diameter tunnels at speeds up to 100 miles per hour using Tesla vehicles.
“We are proud to partner with the Roads and Transport Authority, one of the world’s leading entities in adopting innovative solutions in the transport sector. Through this partnership, we look forward to delivering advanced, safe, and highly efficient tunnelling solutions that support Dubai’s vision for sustainable and future mobility,” said Steve Davis, president of The Boring Company (TBC).
The new project is a major milestone for the Texas-based company, which operates its only tunnel system in Las Vegas and has reportedly transported more than 2 million passengers since 2021. As previously reported by DX, the Las Vegas tunnel network has confirmed an expansion in late January.
Construction in Dubai will begin with a 4-mile pilot phase featuring four stations connecting the Dubai International Financial Centre with the Dubai Mall. The $154 million first phase is expected to take about a year once design work is complete, with tunneling scheduled to begin in late 2026.
If successful, the system will expand to 14 miles, with 19 stations, linking the Dubai World Trade Centre and the financial district to the city’s Business Bay, at a total cost of $545 million. Yet, the full buildout of the underground tunnel network could take three years.
The pilot route will allegedly serve 13,000 passengers daily, while the complete network could handle 30,000 per day, according to RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer.
“The agreement supports efforts to further cement Dubai’s position among the world’s leading cities in the deployment of future mobility solutions and the adoption of advanced technologies that contribute to enhancing the quality of life and facilitating the movement of residents and visitors across the Emirate, while keeping pace with its rapid urban and economic growth,” Al Tayer said.
TBC, which recently opened a Global Operations Control Center in Bastrop, Texas, advertised that it will use advanced tunneling technology that promises faster construction and lower costs compared to conventionally used systems.
The Dubai project follows a year-long study phase that began after an initial agreement signed at the 2025 World Governments Summit. However, the new deal with TBC is quite different from Dubai’s earlier hyperloop ambitions.
In 2016, the emirate positioned itself as an early advocate for high-speed “vacuum tube” transportation systems, with proposals promising speeds exceeding 600 miles per hour (1,000 kilometers per hour). The new TBC Loop system appears to offer a more practical, proven alternative that leverages existing electric-vehicle technology in underground tunnels.
For TBC, the new agreement indicates that its tunneling strategy can secure major international contracts, and tunneling could be announced in other cities in the near future.
