Business

Las Vegas Signs Up For Elon Musk’s High Speed Dreams

Published

6 years ago

March 17, 2019

Kat Lee

Convention Center Project gets green light for first phase

It looks as if Elon Musk is inching closer to realizing his express tunnel transit system. Projects are already at various stages of development in Los Angeles and Chicago with Musks’ Boring Company. But, it looks like Las Vegas is all-in on a Musk tunnel transit proposal. It received initial approval Tuesday after the board directors for the LVCVA voted in favor of the project.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have been long looking for an alternative way to transport convention visitors. LVCVA CEO Steve Hill thinks that underground is the way to go. He also called it “innovative” and “an attraction in and of itself”.

High Speed Connection, Free to Attendees

The tunnel will initially be approximately one mile long, with a focus on moving convention goers to and from the convention halls. The visitors will be rocketed at an estimated 150 mph in Musk’s Model X, Model 3, and a new “High-occupancy AEV” that will use a modified Tesla Model X chassis and will carry up to 16 passengers, with both standing and sitting options. A 15 minute walk will be replaced by a 1 minute ride.

The transport system will be free to convention visitors. If approved by city officials the project should be ready in time for the CES 2021 Technology Show, the largest trade show of the year which attracted over 180,000 visitors in 2019.

Three Design Options are being considered, which will offer convenient access from five potential station locations placed in close proximity to key LVCC destinations and nearby transportation connections.
-The Boring Company

Projected additional destinations are also indicated by The Boring Company:

“Future expansions to augment LVCC Loop can include service extensions to McCarran International Airport, hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, downtown Las Vegas, Las Vegas Stadium, and, in the long term, Los Angeles”
-The Boring Company

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Musk approached Los Angeles with a similar opportunity last year, showcasing its “Hawthorne Tunnel” test. Plans for The Boring Company’s “Dugout Loop” project is still in the works. This project would connect passengers from Dodger Stadium to parts of Hollywood.

A similar project in Chicago (connecting parts of the city to O’Hare Airport) appears to have stalled indefinitely.

City officials throughout the United States have shown skepticism and opposition towards companies and corporations making promises to revitalize decaying parts of major cities. These endeavors are normally determinative with tax breaks for the corporations, and tax payers paying the bill. Musk’s The Boring Company plans to build the Las Vegas tunnel without a taxpayer contribution. Estimated costs are 35-55 million dollars.

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