Back when it was announced, everyone thought that The Boring Company was yet another harebrained scheme from Elon Musk, in line with the South African-born entrepreneur’s other ventures, SpaceX and Tesla. Of course, Elon Musk is now considered a visionary, with SpaceX and Tesla being leaders in their respective fields, space travel and electric cars respectively, and now The Boring Company also well on its way to changing public transport. The company aims to create hyperfast public transport by digging tunnels underground in major cities, and was inspired by Musk’s own frustrations with traffic in Los Angeles. These construction projects are now underway in major cities in the United States, and the company recently came to Las Vegas as well.
At present, The Boring Company has completed digging two tunnels which will run under the Las Vegas Convention Centre (LVCC), with the aim being to provide rapid transport to and from the convention centre’s events across the campus, with the 0.8 mile distance being covered in a matter of minutes, in modified Tesla vehicles which can carry up to 16 passengers at a time. However, it is no surprise to learn that the city known for high roller gambling now wants these tunnels to be connected to some of the best casinos in the city.
To this end, Wynn Resorts announced that it was working with Musk’s company to construct a tunnel which would connect the Wynn in Vegas with the LVCC. The Wynn has over 2,700 rooms and an 11,000 square foot casino, while the tunnel would also connect with the Encore, another hotel with more than 2,000 rooms, a nightclub, beach club and four restaurants. The aim is that Tesla vehicles would carry visitors in around two minutes from the Wynn to the LVCC. While this project is awaiting approval from lawmakers, Resorts World Las Vegas has also submitted a proposal for its own tunnel project with The Boring Company to Clark County.
It is the same type of project, with tunnels connecting the hotel to the LVCC and aiming to transport people in under two minutes. Of course, Resorts World is currently under construction, with the Malaysian company Genting helming this project which will have over 3,500 rooms, a 5,000 seat theater and a huge 117,000 square-foot casino.
LVCC is also in the middle of a $935 million expansion plan which would add a 600,000 square-foot exhibition hall to the campus. This will significantly increase the LVCC’s presence, and add to its hosting capabilities, with the center already hosting some high profile events annually, such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Convention Center Loop would be free to use, while the proposed tunnel routes to the two hotels would cost between $3 and $5 per trip. All these tunnels will have stations at key transportation junctions on their routes, with the stations being above ground as well. Passengers will be transported using modified Tesla vehicles like the Tesla Model X and Model 3.
The LVCC Loop is expected to be completed and opened to passengers by January 2021, while Musk has proposed expanding the network to make over two dozen stops throughout the city, connecting to the airport and even adding an extension to reach Los Angeles. While these plans have yet to be signed off by city officials, they can no longer be considered ambitious any longer. Musk has shown yet again that he can deliver on the fantastic ideas he has, and The Boring Company, if successful, will revolutionize public transport. Thus, all eyes are on its first public use in Vegas next year.