This is a list of megaprojects within the transport sector. Take care in comparing the cost of projects from different times—even a few years apart—due to inflation; comparing nominal costs without taking this into account can be highly misleading. Note that inflation-calculated values are current as of 2023 [update] .
According to the Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management in 2017, "Megaprojects are large-scale, complex ventures that typically cost $1 billion or more, take many years to develop and build, involve multiple public and private stakeholders, are transformational, and impact millions of people". [1]
Project | Description | Country | Location | Est. cost (in billions USD) at or near time of completion | Est. cost (in billions USD), adjusted for inflation | Start of construction | Year of completion | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Confederation Line | Rapid transit | Canada | Ottawa | 5.1 [130] | 6 | 2013 [131] | Completed 2019 (stage 1) Expected 2026 (stage 2) | $2.1 billion + $4.66 billion CA$ [130] | |
Lusail Tram | Light rail | Qatar | Lusail | 2.7as of 2014 [update] [132] | 3.4 | 2016 | Completed 2022 (First part of orange line) Expected Unclear timeline for rest of lines/stations | ||
Hyderabad Metro | Rapid transit | India | Hyderabad | 2.4 as of November 2017 [update] [133] | 2.9 | 2012 | Completed 2018 (First stretch) 2020 (Second stretch) Expected Unclear timeline for rest of lines/stations | ||
Trans-Sumatra Toll Road | Highway | Indonesia | Sumatra | 33.2 [134] | 36.8 | Completed Several segments at varying times (2019-2022) Expected 2023, 2024 (Remaining segments) | |||
K Line | Light rail | United States | Los Angeles | 2.1 [135] | 2.3 | 2014 | Completed 2022 (first section) Expected 2024 (rest of line) | ||
Skyline | Railway | United States | Oʻahu | 12.4 [136] | 13.8 | 2011 | Completed 2023 (Phase 1) Expected 2025 (Phase 2) 2031 (Phase 3) | ||
Sydney Metro | Rapid transit | Australia | Sydney | 14.9 [137] | 15.8 | 2013 | Completed 2019 (Phase 1) Expected 2030 (remaining phases) | AUD $20.5 billion (Stage 1 and 2) [137] | |
El Insurgente | Commuter rail | Mexico | State of Mexico; Mexico City | 2.8 [138] | 3.2 | 2015 | Completed 2023 (Zinacantepec to Lerma) 2024 (Lerma to Santa Fe) Expected 2024 (Santa Fe to Observatorio) | ||
Kınalı-Balıkesir Motorway | Highway | Turkey | Tekirdağ to Balıkesir | 2 [139] | 2.5 | 2017 | Completed 2023 (Malkara-Lapseki) Expected 2024 (remaining phases) | ||
A-1 motorway | Highway | Montenegro | Montenegro | 3.7 [140] [141] | 3.8 | 2015 [142] | Completed 2023 (first 43 km section) Expected | (2.77 billion €) | |
Réseau express métropolitain | Light rail, Rapid transit | Canada | Montreal | 5.5 [143] | 6.1 | 2018 | Completed 2023 (first segment) Expected | 67 km of rails, 26 stations, automated light metro. Cost estimated in June 2021 to be CA$6.9 billion. | |
Tel Aviv Light Rail | Light rail | Israel | Tel Aviv | 5.8 [145] [146] | 6.4 | 2011 | Completed 2023 (Red Line) Expected | NIS18.8 billion |
Project | Description | Country | Location | Status (suspended or abandoned) | Approximate cost (in billions USD) and year of cost estimate | Start of construction | Year suspended | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Latitudinal Railway | Railway | Russia | Labytnangi (Obskaya) - Korotchaevo | Suspended | 3.03 (2018) [238] | 2018 | 2022 |
Project | Description | Location | Approximate cost (in billions USD) | Proposed start of construction | Proposed year of completion | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Great Istanbul Tunnel | Railway, Undersea tunnel | Istanbul, Turkey | 3.5 [239] | TBD | TBD | After Marmaray and Eurasia Tunnel's, it will be the third tunnel to connect Istanbul's sides. |
Arctic Railway | Railway | Finland, Norway | 3.43 [240] | TBD | TBD | A connecting line between Kirkenes port and the Finnish railway network. |
Bridge of the Horns | Bridge (rail/road) | Djibouti, Yemen | 20 | TBD | TBD | A bridge across the Red Sea. |
Crossrail 2 | Railway, Commuter rail, Rapid transit | Greater London, United Kingdom | 49.4 in 2014 money [241] | 2023 | 2030s[ citation needed ] | A new railway line in England, serving London, Surrey & Hertfordshire to interlink with Crossrail (above). |
Helsinki City Rail Loop | Commuter Rail | Finland | 1.77 [242] | TBD | TBD | An underground rail loop in Helsinki. |
Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel | Railway, Undersea tunnel | Finland, Estonia | 17.74 [243] | TBD | TBD | |
Irish Sea Bridge | Bridge (rail/road) | United Kingdom | 20.55 [244] | TBD | TBD | A proposed bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, supported by the Johnson ministry. [245] |
Lentorata | Railway tunnel | Finland | 6.5 [246] | 2030 | TBD | An airport rail link for Helsinki Airport. |
Malacca Strait Bridge | Bridge (road) | Indonesia, Malaysia | 14 [247] | TBD | TBD | A proposed 48 kilometer bridge over the Strait of Malacca. |
MetroLink (Dublin) | Rapid transit | Greater Dublin Area, Ireland | 9.83 [248] | 2025 | 2031-2034 | |
Saudi–Egypt Causeway | Causeway | Saudi Arabia, Egypt | 4 | TBD | TBD | |
Strait of Messina Bridge | Bridge (rail/road) | Italy | 6.6 | TBD | TBD | |
Sunda Strait Bridge | Bridge (rail/road) | Indonesia | 18.87 [249] | TBD | TBD | The project has been indefinitely postponed. [250] |
Singapore Strait crossing | Tunnel (undersea) | Singapore, Indonesia | TBD | TBD | TBD | A proposed tunnel between Singapore and Indonesia. |
Qatar–Bahrain Causeway | Causeway | Qatar, Bahrain | 5 | TBD | TBD | |
Texas Central Railway | High-speed rail | Texas | 5.9 | TBD | TBD | Would operate between Dallas and Houston, with a stop in the Brazos Valley region |
LinkUS | Rapid transit | Columbus, Ohio | 8 [251] | 2024 | 2030 | Cost includes three rapid-transit corridors set to open by 2030, and two more by 2050. [251] [252] |
Second Avenue Subway, Phase 2 | Rapid transit | New York City | 6.39 [253] | TBD | TBD | Project was moved to the engineering stage in January 2022. [254] |
Interborough Express | Light rail | New York City | 5.5 [255] (in 2027 dollars) [256] | TBD | TBD | New light rail line, built largely along existing tracks, connecting Brooklyn and Queens. Still in planning stages. |
Rio de Janeiro Light Rail Expansion | Light rail | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 3 [257] | 2023 | 2025 (at least first sections) | Would add 145.5 km (90.4 mi) to existing light rail network |
Bagamoyo Port | Seaport | Bagamoyo, Tanzania | 10 [258] | 2023 | ||
Valparaíso–Santiago rail replacement | Railway | Valparaíso and Santiago, Chile | 1.32 [259] | 2025 | 2030 | |
D2 Subway | Light rail | Dallas | 1.7-1.9 [260] | TBD | 2028 | |
City Centre–Mangere Line | Light rail | New Zealand | 8.7 [261] | TBD | TBD | In the detailed planning phase. Would connect Auckland Airport to the CBD, terminating at Wynyard Quarter |
The Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra, India.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand.
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Chennai, India. Operated by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) – a joint venture between the Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu, the network consists of two lines and spans 54.1 km (33.6 mi). The system uses standard gauge and has 41 underground and elevated stations.
Delhi has significant reliance on its transport infrastructure. The city has developed a highly efficient public transport system with the introduction of the Delhi Metro, which is undergoing a rapid modernization and expansion since 2006. There are 16.6 million registered vehicles in the city as of 30 June 2014, which is the highest in the world among all cities, most of which do not follow any pollution emission norm, while the Delhi metropolitan region has 11.2 million vehicles. Delhi and NCR lose nearly 42 crore man-hours every month while commuting between home and office through public transport, due to the traffic congestion. Therefore, serious efforts, including a number of transport infrastructure projects, are under way to encourage usage of public transport in the city.
Long Thanh International Airport is an international airport under construction in Long Thành district, Đồng Nai province, Vietnam, approximately 40 km (25 mi) east of Ho Chi Minh City. It will be the second airport to serve the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area, after the existing Tan Son Nhat International Airport. It is being built as an alternative to the existing airport, in order to relieve its increasing traffic, demand and congestion, as it could not be further expanded due to urban growth around it. The Government of Vietnam approved its construction on 4 January 2021. Construction began the next day on 5 January, and its first phase was scheduled to be finished by September 2025, but now it is expected to be finished by the first half of 2026. The airport will serve over 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo annually when built to the maximum designed capacity, making it the largest airport in Vietnam, Southeast Asia and one of the largest in the world. The project is the most expensive infrastructure project in Vietnam's history. Once open, both airports will operate together. The national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, is suggested by the project consultants as the only Vietnamese carrier to operate flights from Long Thanh, while other airlines will wholly stay at the existing airport.
The Macau Light Rapid Transit is a mass transit system in Macau and the first railway system of the city. The first phase of the project's construction began in February 2012, and the first section of the Taipa line was opened to the public on 10 December 2019. Barra extension of the line and two new branches of Seac Pai Van and Hengqin opened in 2023 and 2024.
This is a list of planned, or proposed, high-speed rail projects by country. Although a number of countries have conducted preliminary feasibility studies, many lines are eventually shelved or postponed due to high costs; only a few nations are building high-speed rail lines. Planned lines are separated here from lines under construction, and some countries have both. High-speed rail is public transport by rail at speeds over 200 km/h (125 mph).
The Hyderabad Metro is a rapid transit system, serving the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is the third longest operational metro network in India after Delhi Metro and Namma Metro (Bengaluru), and the lines are arranged in a secant model. It is funded by a public–private partnership (PPP), with the state government holding a minority equity stake. Hyderabad Metro is the world's largest elevated Metro Rail system based on DBFOT basis. A special purpose vehicle company, L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Ltd (L&TMRHL), was established by the construction company Larsen & Toubro to develop the Hyderabad metro rail project.
The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region of India. The system consists of 10 colour-coded lines serving 256 stations, with a total length of 350.42 kilometres (217.74 mi). It is India's largest and busiest metro rail system and the second-oldest, after the Kolkata Metro. The metro has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. The metro makes over 4,300 trips daily.
The Dhaka Metro Rail, or simply the Dhaka Metro, is a mass rapid transit system serving Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is operated by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL). Together with the under construction Dhaka BRT, proposed Dhaka Subway and Dhaka suburban circular rail, it is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the city. The metro rail network has five planned lines which are the MRT Line 6, the only operational line, MRT Line 1 and MRT line 5, which are under construction, and MRT Line 2 and MRT Line 4, which are in the planning stages. It is part of the Strategic Transport Plan outlined by the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
Sydney Metro is a fully automated rapid transit rail system in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It currently consists of the Metro North West & Bankstown Line, running between Tallawong and Sydenham and consisting of 21 stations on 52 km (32 mi) of twin tracks, mostly underground. The first stage of the line opened on 26 May 2019, running between Tallawong and Chatswood. This line was extended from Chatswood to Sydenham on 19 August 2024 as part of the first stage of the City & Southwest project. The second stage of the project will then further extend this line to Bankstown as part of a partial conversion of the existing Bankstown railway line with a scheduled completion in 2025.
Although Thailand has no operational high-speed rail lines, the country is planning a large high-speed rail network connecting its major cities. The first line of the network is under construction from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, with a planned maximum operational speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
Melbourne Airport Rail, also known as SRL Airport, is a proposed heavy rail project, connecting the Melbourne CBD to Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine. The rail link will run through the under-construction Metro Tunnel, running 27 km (16.8 mi) from the airport to Town Hall station in the city centre with 12 km (7.5 mi) of new track between the airport and Sunshine station. The link will be a new branch of the Melbourne Metro rail network and run High-Capacity Metro Trains at a 10-minute frequency. The project is being delivered by the Victorian state government agency Rail Projects Victoria.
The Réseau express métropolitain is a light metro rapid transit system in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists of five stations and connects Downtown Montreal with the suburb of Brossard. Extensions to the western Montreal suburbs and Montréal–Trudeau International Airport are under construction and will open in two stages in 2025 and 2027. A portion of the route was taken over from the Exo commuter rail Deux-Montagnes line and is being converted to light metro standards.
Between 2015 and 2023, Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, considered introducing light rail lines to replace some of its most heavily used bus routes. Many of these new light rail lines would have reused the routes of Auckland's former tram system. Light rail systems have been proposed in Auckland throughout the late-20th and early 21st centuries following the closure of the tram system in the 1950s.
Sydney Metro West is a rapid transit underground rail project currently under construction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It involves constructing a rail line from Hunter St in the northern Sydney City Centre (CBD) to Westmead in the western suburbs of Greater Sydney. The new underground railway line will generally run parallel to the existing Main Suburban and Main Western railway lines, but via different suburbs and different stations, with the main aims being the doubling of rail capacity between the City Centre and Greater Western Sydney and the relief of overcrowding on the Western Line. The line will form part of the Sydney Metro system. Early construction began in 2020, with tunnelling starting in 2023. The line is anticipated to open from 2032.
The North–South Commuter Railway, also known as the Clark–Calamba Railway, is a 147-kilometer (91-mile) commuter rail system under construction on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Running from New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, to Calamba, Laguna, with 36 stations and four services, the railway is designed to improve connectivity within the Greater Manila Area and will be integrated with the railway network in the region.
Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport, previously known as Sydney Metro Greater West, is a rapid transit rail project currently under-construction in Greater Western Sydney. The project involves the construction of a 23-kilometre (14 mi) line as part of the Sydney Metro system. The line will operate between St Marys, where the line will connect to the Main Western railway line, and Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis at Bradfield via the Western Sydney Airport. It is intended to provide public transport for the upcoming Western Sydney Airport. Construction of the line started in December 2022 and is expected to be completed in late 2026 in time for the opening of the airport.
The LAX Automated People Mover is an under construction automated people mover (APM) system that will serve the area around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Work performed as part of the $2.1 billion RPM Phase One project will make commuting better for all CTA riders with improved service and modern rail stations that are fully accessible to people with disabilities.