Government Seeks Consultants for Ras Malé Transport Master Plan

The government has started looking for consultants to work out how people will get to and around Ras Malé. In December 2025, the Ministry of Finance and Planning invited consultancy firms to express interest in preparing a Ras Malé transport master plan and feasibility study, on behalf of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure.

What the consultants will do

According to the notices in the Government Gazette (project number TES/2025/C-007), the consultancy covers:

• a transport master plan for safe, reliable and sustainable links between the capital and Ras Malé
• transport within the new city
• an assessment of land, sea and air options, alone or in combination
• project preparation and a feasibility study

The consultant will be chosen by quality and cost-based selection (QCBS), a common method for government consultancy contracts. Firms submit expressions of interest, a shortlist is drawn up, and only the shortlisted firms are sent the full request for proposals.

The timeline

• 8 December 2025: first notice, with expressions of interest due on 24 December.
• 10 December 2025: revised and extended notice, keeping the 24 December deadline.
• 18 December 2025: a further revision, with the detailed terms of reference on the finance ministry's website from 15 December. The deadline moved to 31 December 2025.

As of October 2026, we haven't found a published shortlist or contract award. We'll update this story when one is announced.

Why it matters

Ras Malé is being built in Fushidhiggaru lagoon, south of Malé in South Malé Atoll, about 17 minutes by speedboat from the capital. Unlike Hulhumalé, which is linked to Malé by road through the Sinamalé Bridge and the airport island, Ras Malé has no fixed link. How residents get to work, school and hospitals in Malé will shape daily life in the new city, and the cost of every option is high. The choice will also affect where homes, shops and offices are placed, because terminals and stations become the places where people arrive.

Hulhumalé shows how long a fixed link can take. Its first residents moved in during 2004, but the Sinamalé Bridge, which first connected the road networks of Malé, the airport island and Hulhumalé, opened only in September 2018. Ras Malé is farther from the capital and in a different atoll, so a fixed link would be a much bigger undertaking.

How Hulhumalé got its link

The Sinamalé Bridge, built by China Harbour Engineering Company, connects Malé to Hulhulé, the airport island, which is joined to Hulhumalé by a causeway. When it opened in September 2018, it connected the road networks of the three islands for the first time. Before the bridge, getting between Hulhumalé and Malé meant a boat crossing, even though Hulhumalé had been growing since its first residents arrived in 2004. That's 14 years between the first residents and a road link.

The airport factor

Velana International Airport sits on Hulhulé, between Malé and Hulhumalé. That puts it a boat ride away from Ras Malé. Velana is the country's main international gateway, so the link to it matters for residents and visitors alike. The plans at the launch included an airstrip on reclaimed land in the lagoon, linked to the city. HDC says plans for an airstrip near the lagoon are in progress, and that it wouldn't disrupt Velana. How an airstrip would be used, whether for seaplanes, domestic flights or something else, hasn't been explained, and the master plan is expected to consider it.

The options on the table

Several ideas have been put forward since the project began:

• Express ferries and hydrofoils: HDC's project page describes a ferry network with express speedboats and a transport system using hydrofoil technology.
• An undersea tunnel: in January 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu announced plans for an undersea tunnel between Malé and Ras Malé, and said feasibility work had begun.
• An airstrip: the plans at the launch included an airstrip on reclaimed land linked to the city. HDC says plans for one near the lagoon are in progress and wouldn't disrupt Velana International Airport.
• A bridge: earlier government statements mentioned a bridge and a high-speed ferry.

The master plan is meant to compare these options and recommend which to build. The government also plans electric and battery-powered transport inside the city, part of its eco-city plans.

The tunnel idea

The most ambitious option is the undersea tunnel. Announcing it in January 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu called it "the first underwater tunnel in the world" to connect the two places, and presented it mainly as a tourism project that could greatly increase visitor numbers. He said feasibility work had started with companies capable of the job. No route, length, cost or contractor has been announced since. The transport master plan will be the first formal study to weigh it against cheaper options like ferries.

Transport inside the city

The consultants' brief also covers getting around within Ras Malé. At the launch, the government said the city would run entirely on renewable energy, with electric and battery-powered vehicles. Ras Malé will be developed in 12 zones, including the Eagle Hills waterfront and marina district on about 500 hectares, which is planned to have a marina of its own. How residents, visitors and goods move between those zones, and to the ferry terminals or any airstrip, is part of what the plan has to work out.

Transport announcements so far

• December 2023: at the launch, plans for an airstrip on reclaimed land linked to the city, and electric transport.
• January 2024: the President announces plans for an undersea tunnel between Malé and Ras Malé.
• 2024: government statements mention a bridge and a high-speed ferry.
• HDC project page: a ferry network with express speedboats, hydrofoil technology, and an airstrip near the lagoon that wouldn't disrupt Velana International Airport.
• December 2025: the transport master plan is put out to consultants.
• September 2026: the President says work on roads and utilities will start before the end of the year.

What comes next

Reclamation was about 70% complete in September 2026, and work on utilities and roads was due to start before the end of the year. A transport plan will need to be in place before people move in. It will have to answer practical questions: how often boats would run, where the terminals would be in Malé and Ras Malé, what fares would cost, and how an airstrip would work alongside Velana International Airport. The terms of reference were published on the finance ministry's website, but we haven't found an announcement of the selected firm or its fee. For more on the location and the possible links, read Where is Ras Malé?