Dubai's next big transport revolution? Underground network for passengers, goods and services

Dubai: For the first time, Dubai is exploring plans to develop an integrated underground transport network that could carry passengers, goods and services beneath the city. 

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), revealed the plans during a session titled "The Future of Dubai Mobility in Three Dimensions" at the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum on Tuesday.

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He said the future of transport in Dubai would be built around three interconnected dimensions: movement on the ground, in the skies and underground.

Al Tayer added that designing the next generation of transport systems required a fundamental shift in thinking, replacing the question of "How do we move?" with "Where can we move?"

The approach, he explained, would open the door to innovative transport solutions beyond traditional road networks, allowing the city to make greater use of the space above and below ground.

The first dimension focuses on surface transport, where Dubai aims to make one in every four journeys autonomous by 2030.

Highlighting progress in self-driving technology, Al Tayer disclosed that autonomous taxis had travelled more than four million kilometres in a single year.

The second dimension involves air transport; an area Dubai began exploring in 2016 when it launched air taxi trials.

At the time, the concept was widely regarded as far-fetched, but Al Tayer pointed to the emirate's progress towards practical implementation, with an urban test flight and the opening of Dubai's first air taxi station scheduled for this year.

The third dimension, underground transport, represents a new area of exploration for the RTA.

Al Tayer announced that a team at the authority was examining the possibility of developing a comprehensive underground mobility system capable of transporting people, goods and services.