List of transport megaprojects
This is a list of transport megaprojects. Care should be taken 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.
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".
Completed projects
| Project | Description | Location | Approximate cost | Start of construction | Year of completion | Image | Notes |
| Karachi-Lahore Motorway | Motorway | Pakistan | 11.5 | 2015 | 2019 | ||
| Otoyol 5 | Highway | Istanbul to İzmir, Turkey | 7 | 2013 | 2016 2019 | Including Osman Gazi Bridge. | |
| Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel | Road Tunnel | Seattle, Washington, United States | 3.1 | 2013 | 2019 | ||
| Confederation Line | Rapid transit | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | 3.9 | 2013 | 2019 2024 | ||
| Santiago Metro Line 3 | Rapid Transit Line | Santiago, Chile | 1.7 | 2012 | 2019 | ||
| Crimean Bridge | Rail/road bridge | 3.7 | 2015 | 2018 2019 | |||
| Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge | Bridge–tunnel | Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau | 17 | 2009 | 2018 | ||
| New Tappan Zee Bridge | Bridge Replacement | South Nyack to Tarrytown New York, USA | 3.9 | 2013 | 2018 | ||
| Abuja Light Rail | Light Rail, Commuter Rail | Abuja, FCT, Nigeria | 2.7 | 2007 | 2018 | ||
| Noord/Zuidlijn | Rapid transit line | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 4.4 | 2002 | 2018 | ||
| Klang Valley MRT Line 1 | Rapid Transit | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 11.7 | 2012 | 2017 | ||
| Ionia Odos | Freeway | Western Greece | 1.8 | 2007 | 2017 | ||
| German Unification Transport Projects | Transport project to achieve the German Unity | 42 | 1991 | 2016 – continues expansion until 2020 | |||
| AVE - Spain's high-speed railway network | High-speed railway | 44 | 1992 | 2016 - continues expansion | 40 billion euros | ||
| Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge | Bridge | Istanbul, Turkey | 2 | 2013 | 2016 | ||
| Evergreen Point Floating Bridge | Road Bridge | Seattle and Medina, Washington, United States | 4.56 | 2012 | 2016 | ||
| Eurasia Tunnel | Undersea tunnel | Istanbul, Turkey | 1.3 | 2011 | 2016 | ||
| Gotthard Base Tunnel | Railway tunnel | Swiss Alps, Switzerland | 10.6 | 1999 | 2016 | ||
| World Trade Center Transportation Hub | Transit center and retail | New York City, New York, USA | 3.9 | 2006 | 2016 | ||
| Blanka tunnel complex | Road tunnel | Prague, Czech Republic | 1.75 | 2006 | 2015 | ||
| Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road and railway | Freeway and railway | 9.4 | 2014 | ||||
| Budapest Metro Line 4 | Rapid Transit line | Budapest, Hungary | 2.1 | 2004 | 2014 | ||
| Marina Coastal Expressway | Highway | 3.4 | 2008 | 2013 | |||
| Marmaray Tunnel | Undersea railway tunnel | Istanbul, Turkey | 4.5 | 2004 | 2008 2013 | Deepest immersed tube tunnel in the world. | |
| Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge | Road bridge | San Francisco, California | 6.4 | 2002 | 2013 | ||
| Russky Bridge | Road Bridge | Vladivostok and Russky Island, Russia | 1.1 | 2008 | 2012 | ||
| Freeway Durango-Mazatlán and Baluarte Bridge | Freeway and road bridge | Durango-Sinaloa, Mexico | 1.46 | 2008 | 2012 | ||
| Jiaozhou Bay Bridge | Bridge | Shandong, China | 1.5 | 2007 | 2011 | ||
| Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway | High-speed rail | Eastern China, PRC | 33.1 | 2008 | 2011 | ||
| Clem Jones Tunnel | Road tunnel | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 3.4 | 2006 | 2010 | ||
| CBD and South East Light Rail | Light Rail | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 1.58 | 2019 | |||
| Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway | High-speed rail | 18.5 | 2005 | 2009 | |||
| Egnatia Odos | Freeway | Northern Greece | 8.4 | 1994 | 2009 | ||
| Incheon Bridge | Bridge | South Korea | 1.4 | 2005 | 2009 | ||
| Sound Transit | Light rail, Commuter rail, Express bus service | Seattle metropolitan area, Washington, USA | 3.9 | 1997 | 2009 - continues expansion | ||
| Bologna–Florence high-speed railway | High-speed rail | 6.9 | 1996 | 2009 | |||
| Milan–Bologna high-speed railway | High-speed rail | 9.1 | 1993 | 2008 | |||
| Beijing–Tianjin intercity railway | High-speed rail | Beijing and Tianjin, China | 3.2 | 2005 | 2008 | ||
| High Speed 1 | High-speed rail | South East England, United Kingdom | 8.4 | 1998 | 2007 | ||
| Lötschberg Base Tunnel | Railway tunnel | Swiss Alps, Switzerland | 4.6 | 1999 | 2007 | ||
| Copenhagen Metro phase 1-3 | Metro system | Copenhagen, Denmark | 1.47 | 1996 | 2007 | 11,400,000,000 DKK | |
| "Big Dig" Central Artery/Tunnel Project | Road tunnel | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | 22 | 1991 | 2007 | 14.6 billion USD | |
| Colorado T-REX Project | Highway & light rail upgrade | Denver, Colorado | 1.7 | 2001 | 2006 | ||
| Shanghai Maglev Train | Maglev | Shanghai, China | 1.33 | 2001 | 2004 | ||
| Red Line | Rapid Transit | Los Angeles, United States | 4.5 | 1986 | 2000 | ||
| Toei Ōedo Line | Rapid Transit | Tokyo, Japan | 18.4 | 1988 | 2000 | ||
| Jubilee Line Extension | Metro line | London, United Kingdom | 6.83 | 1993 | 1999 | 3.5 billion GBP | |
| Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project | 17 bridges connecting the islands of Honshū and Shikoku | 48 | 1978 | 1999 | 4 trillion Yen | ||
| Øresund Bridge | Rail/road bridge/tunnel | Denmark- Sweden | 5.7 | 1995 | 1999 | ||
| Great Belt Fixed Link | Rail/road bridge/tunnel | Denmark | 3.5 | 1988 | 1998 | ||
| Vasco da Gama Bridge | Road bridge | Lisbon, Portugal | 1.3 | 1995 | 1998 | ||
| Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge | Road bridge | Kobe, Japan | 5 | 1988 | 1998 | ||
| Channel Tunnel | Continental railway tunnel | Strait of Dover, English Channel between the and | 15.4 | 1988 | 1994 | ||
| Interstate Highway System | Network of limited-access roadways | 114 | 1956 | 1992 | 425 billion in 2006 dollars | ||
| Baikal–Amur Mainline | Railway | to, Russia | 15 | 1974 | 1984 | ||
| Bay Area Rapid Transit | Rapid transit system | San Francisco Bay Area | 1.586 | 1964 | 1976 - continues expansion | $ adjusted for inflation | |
| Saint Lawrence Seaway | Canal system | St Lawrence River and North American Great Lakes between the and | 0.470 | 1954 | 1959 | ||
| Caracas-La Guaira highway | Highway | Greater Caracas, Venezuela | 0.06 | 1950 | 1953 | ||
| Trans-Siberian Railway | Railroad | Moscow to Russian Far East | 0.770 | 1891 | 1916 | ||
| Panama Canal | Canal | 0.375 | 1881 | 1914 | |||
| First Transcontinental Railroad | Railroad | Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California | 0.1 | 1863 | 1869 | $ adjusted for inflation | |
| Suez Canal | Canal | Sinai Peninsula, Egypt | 0.082 | 1859 | 1869 |
Under construction
| Project | Description | Location | Approximate cost | Start of construction | Planned year of completion | Image | Notes |
| Çanakkale 1915 Bridge | Bridge | Çanakkale, Turkey | 4 | 2017 | 2022 | Will span two continents. | |
| Green Line Extension | Light Rail | Greater Boston | 1 | 2012 | 2021 | ||
| Kınalı-Balıkesir Motorway | Motorway | Tekirdağ to Balıkesir, Turkey | 2 | 2017 | 2023 | ||
| Crossrail 1 | Railway, Commuter rail, Rapid transit | Greater London, United Kingdom | 23.0 | 2007 | 2021 | A new 73m railway line in England, serving London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Essex. | |
| Sha Tin to Central Link | Railway | Hong Kong, From Tai Wai, New Territories to Admiralty, Hong Kong Island | 12 | 2012 | 2020-2021 | ||
| Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link | Undersea tunnel | Denmark, Germany | 2019 | 2028 | - | ||
| Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway | Railway | From Lagos, Lagos to Kano, Kano State in Nigeria | 8.3 | 2011 | 2020 | ||
| Lagos-Calabar Railway | Railway | From Lagos, Lagos to Calabar, Cross River | 11.9 | 2020 | TBA | ||
| Lagos Rail Mass Transit | Rapid Transit, Commuter Rail | Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria | 3.6 | 2009 | 2022 | ||
| Badagry Deep Sea Port | Seaport | Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria | 2.3 | 2016 | 2018 | ||
| Fourth Mainland Bridge | Bridge | Across the lagoon to connect Ikorodu and Lekki cities of Lagos State | 4.2 | 2018 | TBA | ||
| Northern Latitudinal Railway | railway | Labytnangi- Korotchaevo, Russia | 3.03 | 2018 | 2023 | ||
| Lekki Port | Seaport | Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria | 1.6 | 2015 | 2018 | ||
| Honolulu Rail Transit | Railway | Oahu, Hawaii | 10 | 2011 | 2021 2022 2025 | ||
| California High-Speed Rail | High-speed railway | California | 80.3 | 2015 | 2033 | ||
| China Pakistan Economic Corridor | Economic corridor | Gwadar, Pakistan to Kashgar, China | 46 | 2015 | 2020 | ||
| Barcelona Metro line 9 | Rapid transit line | Barcelona, Spain | 26.3 | 2009 | 2026 | ||
| Santiago Metro Line 7 | Rapid transit line | Santiago, Chile | 2.9 | 2017 | 2025 | ||
| Cross River Rail | Rapid transit | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 4.3 | 2017 | 2024 | AUD $5.4 billion | |
| Sydney Metro | Rapid transit | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 13 | 2013 | Northwest: 2019 City and Southwest: 2024 | AUD $20.3 billion | |
| Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 | Rapid transit line | New York City, New York, United States | 6 | 2021 | 2026 Phase 2 | ||
| Orange Line | Rapid Transit | Lahore, Pakistan | 1.6 | 2015 | 2020 | ||
| Thameslink Programme | Commuter rail upgrade | Southeast England, UK | 8.9-9.7 | 2009 | 2021 | ||
| NHDP | Highway upgrade | 71 | 2000 | 2018 | .This project will be completed by early 2018 and will be supersized by Bharatmala project. | ||
| Highway Vespucio Oriente | Road tunnel | Santiago, Chile | 1.1 | 2017 | 2022 | ||
| Highway Costanera Central | Road tunnel | Santiago, Chile | 1.2 | 2017 | 2024 | ||
| Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway | Railway | Jerusalem, Israel | 2 | 2001 | 2018 | ||
| Tunnel Agua Negra Pass | Road tunnel | San Juan, Argentina, Coquimbo Region, Chile | 1.5 | 2018 | 2025 | ||
| WestConnex | Road tunnel | Sydney, Australia | 11.3 | 2015 | Stage 1 & 2- 2019 Stage 3- 2023 | ||
| Fastracks | Light Rail, Commuter Rail | Denver, Colorado | 6.5 | 2006 | 2044 | ||
| City Rail Link | Commuter rail | Auckland, New Zealand | 2.4 | 2015 | 2024 | ||
| Eglinton Crosstown | Light rail | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 5.230 | 2010 | 2022 | ||
| Bar-Boljare highway | Highway | 3.7 | 2015 | 2019 | |||
| Grand Paris Express | Automated rapid transit | Paris, Ile de France, France | 27 | 2014 | from 2020 to 2030 | 4 new lines, 200 km, 72 new stations | |
| Scarborough Subway Extension | Rapid transit | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 2.6 | 2018 | 2023 | 3.4 billion | |
| Ohio River Bridges Project | Road bridges and interchange reconfiguration | Louisville metropolitan area, Kentucky and Indiana, United States | 2.3 | 2014 | 2024 | ||
| Tehran-Shomal Freeway, 121 km | Freeway | Tehran and Mazandaran Province, Iran | 1.7 | 2017 | |||
| Stuttgart 21 | Railway & Urban Development | Stuttgart, Germany | 7.4 | 2010 | 2025 | estimates up to 6.8 bn € | |
| Birmingham Northern Beltline | Highway | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | 5.445 | 2014 | 2047 | ||
| Brenner Base Tunnel | Railway tunnel | Innsbruck, Austria to Franzensfeste, Italy | 10.7 | 2008 | 2026 | ||
| Koralm Tunnel | Railway tunnel | Styria / Carinthia, Austria | 6.6 | 2009 | 2022-26 | ||
| Semmering Base Tunnel | Railway tunnel | Lower Austria / Styria, Austria | 4.0 | 2012 | 2024 | ||
| Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor | High Speed Railway | From Ahmedabad, Gujarat to Mumbai, Maharashtra | 16 | 2019 | 2022 | ||
| Bharatmala | Highway building and upgradation | 100 | 2017 | 2022 | |||
| Sagarmala | Port | Coastal areas of India | 120 | 2017 | 2025 | ||
| Light Metro | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 4.8 | 2018 | 2023 | 67 km of rails, 26 stations, automated light metro at $CDN 6.4bn | ||
| Metro: All Change | Rapid transit | Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom | 1.3 | 2010 | 2024 | ||
| High Speed 2 | High Speed Railway | England, United Kingdom | 106.4 | 2017 | 2033 | 330mi/530 km of High Speed track, 5 stations and West Coast Mainline integration | |
| Northern Powerhouse Rail | Railway & Urban renewal | United Kingdom | 39 | 2018 | 2026 | Links Liverpool, Sheffield, Kingston-upon-Hull & Newcastle-upon-Tyne to High Speed 2. | |
| Link light rail Blue Line | Light rail line | Eastside King County, Washington, USA | 3.7 | 2016 | 2023-4 | ||
| Regional Connector | Light rail tunnel | Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA | 1.245 | 2014 | 2022 | - |
Proposed
| Project | Description | Location | Approximate cost | Proposed start of construction | Proposed year of completion | Notes |
| Great Istanbul Tunnel | Railway, Undersea tunnel | Istanbul | $3.5bn | TBD | TBD | After Marmaray and Eurasia Tunnel's, it will be the third tunnel to connect Istanbul's sides. |
| Arctic Railway | Railway | , | TBD | TBD | A connecting line between Kirkenes port and the Finnish railway network. | |
| Bridge of the Horns | Bridge | , | 20 | TBD | TBD | A bridge across the Red Sea. |
| Crossrail 2 | Railway, Commuter rail, Rapid transit | Greater London, United Kingdom | 31.2 | 2023 | 2030s | A new railway line in England, serving London, Surrey & Hertfordshire to interlink with Crossrail. |
| Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link | Undersea tunnel | , | 2019 | 2028 | ||
| Helsinki City Rail Loop | Railway tunnel | TBD | TBD | An underground rail loop in Helsinki. | ||
| Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel | Railway, Undersea tunnel | , | 2020 | 2024 | ||
| Irish Sea Bridge | Bridge | TBD | TBD | A proposed bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, supported by the Johnson ministry. | ||
| Lentorata | Railway tunnel | TBD | TBD | An airport rail link for Helsinki Airport. | ||
| Malacca Strait Bridge | Bridge | , | 14 | TBD | TBD | A proposed 48 kilometer bridge over the Strait of Malacca. |
| Saudi–Egypt Causeway | Causeway | , | 4 | TBD | TBD | |
| Strait of Messina Bridge | Bridge | 6.6 | TBD | TBD | ||
| Sunda Strait Bridge | Bridge | 18.87 | TBD | TBD | The project has been indefinitely postponed. | |
| Singapore Strait crossing | Undersea tunnel | , | TBD | TBD | TBD | A proposed tunnel between Singapore and Indonesia. |
| Suburban Rail Loop | Mass transit | - | 2022 | 2050 | A proposed extension of the Melbourne rail system. | |
| Qatar–Bahrain Causeway | Causeway | , | 5 | TBD | TBD | |
| XpressWest | High-speed rail | 5 | 2020 | 2023 | ||
| Texas Central Railway | High-speed rail | 5.9 | 2021 | 2026 | - |
Airport projects
| Airport | Location | IATA Code | Passengers | Year completed | Cost |
| Abu Dhabi International Airport | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AUH | 20000000 | 1982 | 6.8 billion |
| Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport Terminals 4 and 4S | Madrid, Spain | MAD | 57891340 | 2006 | 8.7 billion |
| Al Maktoum International Airport | Jebel Ali, UAE | DWC | 410278 | 2010 | 32 billion |
| Athens International Airport | Athens, Greece | ATH | 16225885 | 2001 | 3 billion |
| Bandung Majalengka International Airport | Majalengka Regency, West Java, Indonesia | KJT | 29000000 | 2018 | 15 billion |
| Barcelona–El Prat Airport | Barcelona, Spain | BCN | 50172457 | 4 billion | |
| Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport | Berlin, Germany | BER | 28000000 | 2020 | 10 billion |
| Changi Airport Terminal 3 | SIN | 22000000 | 2008 | 1.4 billion | |
| Changi Airport Terminal 4 | SIN | 65628000 | 2017 | 1 billion | |
| Ciudad Real Central Airport | Ciudad Real, Spain | CQM | Ceased operations in 2012 | 2009 | billion |
| Clark International Airport | Angeles, Philippines | CRK | 2664378 | 10 billion | |
| Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport | Santiago, Chile | SCL | 30000000 | 2021 | 1 billion |
| Denver International Airport | Denver, Colorado, United States | DEN | 50167485 | 1995 | 4.8 billion |
| Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | Guangzhou, China | CAN | 59732147 | 2004 | 3 billion |
| Hong Kong International Airport | Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong | HKG | 70502000 | 1998 | 20 billion |
| Incheon International Airport | Incheon, South Korea | ICN | 28677161 | 2001 | 5 billion 2.6 billion |
| Istanbul New Airport | Istanbul, Turkey | IST | 52578008 | 2018 | 29 billion |
| Kansai International Airport | Greater Osaka Area, Japan | KIX | 27987564 | 1994 | 20 billion |
| King Abdulaziz International Airport | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | JED | 18000000 | 1981 | 7.2 billion |
| King Shaka International Airport | Durban, South Africa | DUR | 7500000 | 2010 | 1 billion |
| Kuala Lumpur International Airport | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | KUL | 52643511 | 1998 | 3.5 billion |
| Kuala Namu International Airport | Medan, Indonesia | KNO | 12245116 | 2013 | 4.4 billion |
| Long Thanh International Airport | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | N/A | 100000000 | 2020 | 10 billion |
| Navi Mumbai International Airport | Mumbai, India | NMU | 60000000 | 2023 | 2 billion |
| New Chennai International Airport | Chennai, India | N/A | 35000000 | 2021 | 1 billion |
| Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal C | Newark, New Jersey, United States | EWR | 33399207 | 2003 | 1.2 billion |
| New Islamabad International Airport | Islamabad, Pakistan | IBD | 5140585 | 2018 | 3.91 billion |
| New Lisbon Airport | Lisbon, Portugal | N/A | 50000000 | 2022 | 4.5 billion |
| New Mexico City International Airport | Mexico City, Mexico | MEX | Ceased operations in 2018 | 2018 | 13 billion |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport | Bangkok, Thailand | BKK | 55892428 | 2006 | 3.8 billion |
| Central Transport Hub | Baranów, Poland | N/A | ~ 45,000,000 | 2027 | 4.2-5.0 billion |
| Western Sydney Airport | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | SWZ | 10,000,000 82,000,000 | 2026 | 3.3 billion |