The Boring Company: LOOP in Las Vegas, possibly TX and FL

[Dr Mordrid]

Vehicles, minibus-like pods with pedestrians or bikes etc. transported intra-city on electric "skates" at high speed - longer runs at 100+ mph. Elevator platforms from street level to move vehicles into-out of the system.

Musk's The Boring Company initial tunnel in front of SpaceX's Hawthorne CA headquarters being nearly done, Hawthorne has permitted them to extend it to the LA limits. Now LA is looking to allow a full tunnel along the 405 freeway, connecting the South Bay, Westside and San Fernando Valley. A path the city was prepared to spend $5B on for a subway.

News stories at the links,

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-elon-musk-boring-company-20171121-story.html

Mayor Eric Garcetti ✔ @MayorOfLA
L.A. has always been a place where innovators come to build new ideas that can change our lives. Looking forward to exploring how @ElonMusks Boring Company could help us build a better future for our city. http://mayor.la/D6qZ30gKUOF
1:17 PM - Nov 22, 2017

[Dr Mordrid]

Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
The Boring Company will compete to fund, build & operate a high-speed Loop connecting Chicago O’Hare Airport to downtown https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/ci...press-service/…
9:31 PM - Nov 29, 2017

[paulw]

Interesting concept but I can't see any federal funding for this as it would be way too expensive.. Think how much a rail subway system costs per mile now to build..

[Dr Mordrid]

When Musk was on Trump's Industrial Council they had numerous discussions about Hyperloop, the related technologies and how they would fit into the president's plan for infrastructure improvement. Given that I wouldn't be so sure that the feds would not be involved, especially since The Boring Company is already working on a project running from New York City to Washington DC.

[Dr Mordrid]

Daily Breeze has a good story on the LA "Loop" project.

Hawthorne is the SpaceX headquarters.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/2017/12/0...ey-at-125-mph/

Passenger Pod


Vehicle Skate


Project map/phases

[Dr Mordrid]

Now they've won the bidding for a Loop project in Chicago,

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-14/elon-musk-s-boring-co-wins-chicago-airport-high-speed-train-bid

Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Wins Chicago Airport High-Speed Train Bid

Elon Musk's Boring Co. is the winner in a bid to build a multibillion-dollar high-speed express train to O'Hare International Airport, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The result gives the young company a big boost in legitimacy as it tries to get transportation projects underway in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

The company beat out a consortium that included Mott MacDonald, the civil engineering firm that designed a terminal at London's Heathrow Airport, and JLC Infrastructure, an infrastructure fund backed by former basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, said the people, who declined to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The city is expected to announce the news as soon as Thursday, one person said.
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[Dr Mordrid]

https://twitter.com/boringcompany/status/1007119374409273344?s=19

The Boring Company ✔ @boringcompany
Were really excited to work with the Mayor and the City to bring this new high-speed public transportation system to Chicago!
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Chicago Tribune ✔ @chicagotribune
Chicago has selected Elon Musks Boring Company to build high-speed transit tunnels between the Loop and OHare.

Heres a conceptual look, provided by The Boring Company.https://trib.in/2JKqgKz
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Just A. Tinker @John_Gardi
Block #37 is a great spot for the downtown terminus! It's right on all the major mass transit modes, elevated, subway and buses. First you'll have to the river but there's a freeway conveniently slashed through the suburbs going most of the way to O'Hare Int. Airport from there. pic.twitter.com/39shEcapOS
2:49 AM - Jun 14, 2018

[VJ]

I'm amazed that they proceed so well...

But euhm.... are there more details on how will it go?
I mean:

• Do you have some subscription that allows you access to use it?
• Or will you pay like a toll-road?
• And how long will you have to queue to access it?

I mean, if there is half an hour of queuing before you can enter it, only to shave half an hour of a normal travel time.... it does not really pay off...

[Dr Mordrid]

Tesla builds and operates it, providing crosstown rides to O'Hara Airport for $20-$25, cheaper than a taxi, travelling at 100-120 mph.

Payments can be by subscription, as many US bus services use, or by Google Pay, tag, card etc. done when you pull onto or enter a Skate vehicle.

The Skates, be they car carriers or a people pod/minibus, are based on the Tesla Model X chassis but with custom tracks.

There are paralel tunnels with passing crossovers. Multiple Skates run in a loop (hence, "Loop").

Outtake from the announcement + updated video

[VJ]

Ok, I had the wrong concept... I thought this tunnel was already the concept presented early on: you drive your car onto a skate and at the other side of town (or some other stop in between), you drive off it.

This is more like an improved airport shuttle-service, no saying it is not a great thing, but a different thing that I first thought it was.

[Dr Mordrid]

Same idea but adapted to be an airport shuttle between O'Hara and downtown. In a full Loop these pods can be mixed with more car skates, as is planned for the much larger LA system.

[Dr Mordrid]

Tesla will be building a large EV van, and a version for the LOOP system is likely. It'll have minibus style seating and the ability to handle wheel & power chairs.

The LOOP projects are picking up. Their 3rd gen tunneling machine is live, and it doesn't need a pit to start digging - it can porpoise; starting at the surface, descending to depth, then re-surfacing.

Boring Company's LOOP under the Las Las Vegas Strip, stopping at casinos, serving stadiums, potentially connecting to LA, is in late approval. Phase 1 serving the convention center (in red) is open.

LOOPs in Austin & San Antonio Texas are also under discussion, possibly connected. Also a LOOP in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Las Vegas Phase 2

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/clark-county/ride-underneath-the-strip-borings-vegas-loop-ready-for-next-step-2459509/

Ride underneath the Strip? Boring’s Vegas Loop ready for next step

Although classified as a monorail, the tunnel system would feature Tesla model vehicles transporting riders on paved routes.

Site plans show a route stretching along Las Vegas Boulevard from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue mainly underneath the public right-of-way. North of Sahara the system would connect to stops in the city of Las Vegas’ jurisdiction, which are not a part of the application.
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A franchise agreement, if approved, states that Boring would set the time and frequency of the service and set the price and collect fares, with the ability to change those periodically. The company also could sell advertising and concession deals and set up discounted ride options with various resorts.

Once the franchise agreement is approved, Boring will have three years to complete construction or have at least a portion of the line that is in the Clark County right-of-way in operation. The franchise agreement would be good for at least 50 years.
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Las Vegas Boring Agreement p25 Map (rev 2021.10.11).jpg