PROJECTS - MIDDLE EAST | INSIGHT
Emboldened by these successes, the region is
municipality is preparing for the construction of the King Abdullah Road-Falasteen Road tunnel. The three-year scheme involves constructing 5.3km of 7.2m i.d. tunnels using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and another 3.4km of tunnels of 3.5m diameter driven by either pipejacking or TBM method. 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 late 2024.
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-long tunnel to be
constructed under the Bou Regreg river at an estimated cost of MD1.4bn (US$140 million). 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. By Yasir Iqbal
working on a new generation of tunnelling projects. Dubai’s proposed Loop system, backed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, is one of the highest-profile examples of this trend. Others include projects such as the Riyadh Metro Line 7, the Blue and Gold lines for Dubai Metro, along with ongoing metro projects in Cairo. The momentum in the Middle East comes amid
growing pressure on global investment in tunnelling due to economic headwinds, inflation and geopolitical tensions. Although the Middle East is not immune to global
trends, its growing cities, combined with the means and the desire for them to become the world’s best cities in the future, will mean that the region will remain a bright spot for tunnelling for the foreseeable future.
MUTED PUBLIC SPENDING HINDERS GLOBAL TUNNELLING The pipeline of tunnel construction projects around the world as tracked by GlobalData stands at US$1,300 billion, encompassing projects from announcement to execution. The total pipeline value reflects the overall values
of projects that are either entirely tunnels or that have tunnels as an integral part of the work. The project pipeline includes tunnelling works across a range of sectors, including road and railway development, as well as water and sewerage.
Subdued spending Public spending is anticipated to remain muted globally in the short term, as governments are still trying to curtail expenditure to reduce public debt, thereby constraining investments in public infrastructure. This is affecting the demand for tunnel construction, which heavily relies on public infrastructure development. Elevated construction material prices, high interest rates and labour and skill shortages are expected to discourage new investment, further reducing demand for tunnel construction. These challenges have already impacted project
viability, leading to the withdrawal or postponement of funding for 50 projects in Australia’s US$78.6 billion infrastructure investment programme due to cost increases of over US$21 billion. The conflicts in Russia and Ukraine, the situation in Gaza and disruptions to shipping in the Red Sea are weighing on new investment levels, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region due to increased uncertainty. However, this decrease in new tunnel investment
is not expected to be uniform globally, as China’s significant infrastructure investment drive, the US’ Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and India’s various infrastructure investment programmes are driving new investment in their respective regions (see box panel: Global Regions: Project Pipeline Snapshot).
By Colin Foreman June 2025 | 39
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