The Boring Company promises a hyperloop but delivers cars in a tunnel


If you’re waiting with bated breath to ride a hyperloop, prepare to turn blue. I’m sorry, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon. But you might just be able to get a very poor second, a car ride in a tunnel. It’s courtesy of Elon Musk’s Boring Company, and if you are feeling underwhelmed, you’re not alone.

Tunnels under the city of Las Vegas 

This week The Boring Company won approval from local officials to build a 51 station network of vehicle tunnels under the city of Las Vegas. Spanning 46km (29 miles) system will allow passengers to travel by tunnel between casinos, the new football stadium, the Las Vegas Convention Center, and McCarran International Airport. 

In May 2019, the company landed a $48.7 million contract to design and construct a Loop system for the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). Walking between the New Exhibit Hall and North/Central Hall can take up to 15 minutes. Using the tunnel takes only one minute, even if it’s not that exciting. 

So how much for a Boring ride? 

The Boring Company has put ticket prices somewhere between public transport and ride-hailing, with a five-minute ride between the airport and the convention center at about $10. A four-minute between the football stadium and the Convention Center is estimated to cost $6.

We were promised a hyperloop, not a Boring tunnel 

Let’s be very clear. The word hyperloop is largely absent from the conversation. We’ve been promised hydraulic propulsion in a pod through a tube at lightning speed. However, the reality is a lift in a Tesla, and not even an autonomous one at that. It’s hardly earth-shattering.

Talk about an appalling advert for rapid people moving at scale. A Tesla ain’t no bus, and it’s gonna take an awfully large amount of Teslas to ferry four people at a pop. Then, there’s the problem if a Tesla bricks itself in a tunnel. 

And, a Tesla?! A train or even a platoon of electric, autonomous buses could move over 50 people in a minute. 

However, it’s worth stressing that tunnels are on The Boring Company’s dime — not the taxpayer — asking hotel-casinos to chip in for the costs. Last year Resorts World was granted permission to construct a passenger station and underground tunnel connecting it to the LVCC. 

Let’s roll the dice in the tunnel! 

But why stop there? Casinos already deploy techniques like an absence of clocks and windows, to enable people to lose track of time and gamble for longer hours. You’ll be in a freaking tube. How about some casino tables? A quick game of Uno? Wedding in a tunnel? Elvis wedding in a tunnel? 

However, before people get too hoity-toity, don’t forget Las Vegas is the place of drive-through weddings, freaking fake Egyptian pyramids, and plans for a   moon-themed resort. Tacky is a-ok. 

Then, there’s the real elephant in the room that makes me question the whole plan — The Las Vegas monorail. 

Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!