Elon Musk’s 150mph 'Loop' Tunnel System to Open in December

by Telegraph Reporters, The Telegraph, October 22, 2018

Elon Musk has come a step closer to creating a "loop" transit system beneath Los Angeles to bring an end to "soul-destroying traffic" in the city. 

Taking to Twitter, the billionaire SpaceX founder said his underground tunnel for the project "is almost done" and will be ready on December 10.

In a follow-up tweet, a fan asked whether the December 10 opening was "in real time or Elon time?" and Musk replied "I think real." 

The tunnel, which is being built by Musk's Boring Company, will contain autonomous electric skates capable of transporting cars and people at speeds of up to  125-150mph.

"The concept is that a vehicle would be able to drive on to the skate, the engine would be turned off and the vehicle and its passenger would be transported from one end of the Test Tunnel to the other," according to a Hawthorne council document submitted by the Boring Company

The Boring Company's website says the tunnel runs from SpaceX's parking lot east of Crenshaw Boulevard and south of 120th Street, then turns west under 120th Street, and remains underground along 120th Street for 2 miles.

An opening event will take place on the night of December 10 with free rides for the public the next day, Musk tweeted. 

Elon Musk's productivity hacks | How to get more done in less time according to the Tesla founder

The entrepreneur first announced plans to bore a tunnel to his SpaceX offices in Los Angeles in December 2016 after being stuck in traffic.

"Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging," he tweeted at the time.

The company is working on other projects including a Dugout Loop in Los Angeles to transport baseball fans directly to Dodger Stadium.

Musk is also helping develop a transportation system known as the "Hyperloop," which is a network of low-pressure tubes that can travel at 750mph.  

According to the Boring Company: "Low cost tunnels would also make Hyperloop adoption viable and enable rapid transit across densely populated regions, enabling travel from New York to Washington DC in less than 30 minutes."

 

This article was written by Telegraph Reporters from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

Related Stories

Rail Europe Offers Travel Agent Promotion for October

Yankee Leisure Group Expands Operations to Sydney

Railbookers Partners With Eurostar

Brightline to Build Rail Between Las Vegas and Southern California