Imagine: you get into a car, drive into an ordinary elevator, descend 30 meters underground, and speed at 200 km/h, while thousands of cars are stuck in traffic above. This is not science fiction, but the reality of the next decade. Underground transportation is not just the metro. By 2026, humanity is actively building tunnels for passenger cars, trucks, and even pedestrians. Traffic jams in megacities force people to look for space below. We tell you how underground logistics will change our cities.

From metro to multimodal tunnels

The metro is classic. But it only solves the problem of passenger transportation. Goods, personal cars, food delivery — all this is still on the surface. The first step into the future is the creation of "smart" tunnels where different types of transport travel at different times of the day. For example, in the morning — cars, in the afternoon — trucks, at night — autonomous taxis. Everything is managed by artificial intelligence. In London, there is already an experimental section under the Thames for cargo drones on wheels.

The Boring Company: Loop and radical cost reduction

Elon Musk's company proposes to build tunnels of small diameter (3.6 meters) instead of metro-wide (6 meters). This drastically reduces costs. In Las Vegas, Loop is a network of tunnels where Tesla electric cars transport passengers at a speed of 150 km/h. For now, with a driver, but autonomous driving is planned. Musk is also developing a system of bricks made from excavated material (sells them cheaply to cover the cost of boring). In 2026, Loop will be built in Miami, Los Angeles, and Austin. There are no similar projects in Russia, but Moscow authorities are looking into it.

Hyperloop: the future of vacuum trains

If Loop is just cars in tunnels, then Hyperloop is capsules flying almost without friction. The air is evacuated, a magnetic cushion. Speed — 1000–1200 km/h. The first commercial Hyperloop route is planned in India (Mumbai — Pune) by 2028. The project in Europe is lagging behind due to bureaucracy. Problems: maintaining a vacuum is difficult, any breach in sealing is a disaster. Nevertheless, in 2026, a test tube of 2 km in length was built in the Netherlands for the certification of passenger capsules.

Underground hubs for drones

Drone delivery services need base stations where they change batteries, load goods. Such stations are going underground — to not spoil the urban landscape. In Shanghai, a subterranean hub for 500 drones was launched in 2025. They land on elevators, descend into the tunnel, and load packages onto robotic trolleys. In the future, such hubs will be connected by tunnels, forming an underground logistics network. You order a pizza, the drone picks it up from the restaurant, travels underground, and emerges at your doorstep. In 2026, a similar system is being tested in Dubai.

Underground parking lots and their evolution

There is no place to park a car — we build underground parking lots. But the future is for automatic parking robots. You leave your car on the surface, the elevator takes it down, and the robot shuttle parks it in a cell. You don't have to circle the floors. Systems of this kind are already working in Tokyo and Singapore. In 2026, the first fully automatic underground parking lot was opened in the "Moscow-City" area. The next step is integration with tunnels: you drive onto an elevator, and the robot takes your car to your office underground.

Tunnel construction of the future: lasers and robots

Currently, tunnels are bored with giant shields (TPMK). This is expensive and slow. The future is for laser cutting of rock and robotic laying of segments. The startup Petra (Canada) is developing a laser that melts rock, and the melt solidifies into a glass-like lining of the tunnel. Without noise, without waste. Boring speed — up to 100 meters per day (10 times faster than usual). Commercial use is expected by 2030. Another trend is 3D printing of tunnels with concrete directly in the ground.

Ecology of underground transportation

On the one hand, tunnels save the surface from noise and exhaust fumes. On the other hand, they disrupt hydrology (groundwater), require huge energy costs for lighting and ventilation. If the transport inside is electric cars, then there are no emissions. But ventilation is still needed — the air heats up from the engines (even electric motors heat up). In future tunnels, heat recovery systems will be used: heated air will heat homes above the tunnel. This is already being implemented in the Loop project in Las Vegas.

What will be in Russia

In Moscow, the metro density is high, but there are not enough car tunnels. The "Light Metro" project (underground trams) is being discussed, but not built. There are no private initiatives like Boring Company due to bureaucracy and cost. However, in 2026, tunneling began under the MKAD for trucks (length 5 km) to relieve the outer side of the ring. In St. Petersburg, the construction of an underground duplicate of Nevsky Prospect for cars is being considered. But we are far from Loop.

Underground transportation is inevitable. Cities are suffocating on the surface. They have to either go underground or sink into smog. China, the United States, and the UAE have already chosen the path below. Perhaps in 20 years, we will be surprised that cars used to drive on asphalt, not on vacuum tubes underground.

Permanent link to this publication: