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The Boring Company Projects

by · Published · Updated

Completed In Progress Proposed Cancelled Potential

Changelog:

  • November 18 – Updated information and images for the Las Vegas project (boring of the first tunnel has started on November 15)
  • May 24 – Added a new section “In Progress” for projects that are approved and close to construction (as opposed to projects that have only been proposed); also added some new information about the Hawthorne tunnel based on the newly released video
  • May 23 – Contract for Las Vegas Convention Center Loop was approved and preparations for construction may begin (added more details about the construction timeline and two new images)
  • May 22 – Added information about cars frequently reaching 100 mph in the Hawthorne test tunnel
  • May 20 – Added more details about Las Vegas Convention Center Loop (price, route, length, schedule…)
  • April 23 – Added a link to the East Coast Loop Environmental Assessment draft and updated some of the project information based on it
  • April 18 – Added new information about progress on the East Coast Loop project
  • April 17 – List first published

Since its inception, the Boring Company has announced several different projects it is working on. These tunnels are at different stages of development and some have even been cancelled. Other projects are still in the process of obtaining permits, while others are only hypothetical. On this page you will find information about all Boring Company projects and their status. The page will be regularly updated.

Difference between Loop and Hyperloop:

  • Loop – Transportation system utilizing either slightly modified electric vehicles, or custom-made Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEVs) based on the Tesla Model X chassis and able to carry up to 16 passengers. The system doesn’t require a low-pressure environment and can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. Loop is intended for shorter routes.
  • Hyperloop – Futuristic long-distance mode of transport that utilizes pressurized pods travelling inside a tube or a tunnel in near-vaccuum conditions and reaching speeds of over 1000 km/h.

Loop using Teslas:

Loop using AEVs:

Hyperloop explained:

Completed Projects

Hawthorne Test Tunnel

Tesla Model 3 inside the Hawthorne tunnel (Credit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)

An experimental tunnel built by the company to test the boring processes in order to find areas with room for improvement. The tunnel starts at the SpaceX parking lot in Hawthorne, the O’Leary Station (named after late Patrick O’Leary) is on the other end and is equipped with a car lift to the surface. The company publicly showed off the tunnel at an event in December 2018 and is now testing transportation inside it with modified Tesla vehicles, trying to reach high speeds with tight follow distance. According to Daily Breeze, a Boring Co. spokesman said in April 2019 that the test tunnel has been improved, and insisted cars now frequently travel through it at more than 100 mph (compared to the 40 mph demonstrated in December 2018). He said that reporters will be invited back in summer 2019 to check out the improvements. Then in May 2019 Boring Company shared a video that showed that the tunnel’s floor had been paved smooth and a Tesla Model 3 (without guiding wheels) can reach 127 mph inside the tunnel. There are currently no plans to use the tunnel for public transport.

Projects In Progress

Las Vegas Convention Center Loop

The chosen route for the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop (Credit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority)

This 0.83-mile twin tunnel will provide transportation between the various buildings of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Because of the large overall area, visitors must currently walk long distances when moving from one end of the convention center to the other. According to Elon Musk, the tunnel contruction could start as early as July 2019 and might finish by the end of 2019. However, the boring of the first tunnel didn’t start until November 2019. The entire project should be completed no later than January 2021 (in time for CES). Autonomous Tesla vehicles or special electric vehicles (AEVs) for up to 16 passengers will be used to transport passenger at a speed of up to 56 km/h. The project will include three stations. In the future, the Boring Company says it is theoretically possible to extend the tunnel to other parts of Las Vegas.

Proposed Projects

Dugout Loop

Elevators on the west end of the Dugout Loop (Credit: The Boring Company)

  • Status: In environmental review and permitting
  • Cost: TBD
  • Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Transport system: Loop
  • Number of tunnels: 1
  • Length: 6 km
  • Boring diameter: 4.26 m
  • Boring machines used: ?
  • Construction started: TBD
  • Construction finished: TBD
  • More information:

The Dodgers Stadium and one of the L. A. subway stations would be connected by a 6-kilometer tunnel. It is intended to provide additional public transport option during sports and cultural events taking place at the stadium. In the tunnel, the Loop transport system would be used, moving up to 16 pedestrians and cyclists using autonomous electric vehicles. These vehicles would be based on the Tesla Model X chassis and would reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. The 6 kilometres long journey would only take 4 minutes. Passengers would reach the tunnel using elevators. The Loop system would operate primarily during concerts and baseball matches that take place at Dodgers Stadium. Rides to the stadium would commence before the event started and would go in the opposite direction after the event at the stadium concluded. The total capacity is estimated at 1,400 people per event, initially. Construction should take no more than 14 months.

East Coast Loop

The initial pit dug south of Baltimore (Credit: Larry Hogan)

The tunnel would connect the city centers of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The first pit was dug south of Baltimore in 2017, but the project has not progressed much since then. Then on April 17, 2019, the Department of Transportation announced that the project has completed its environmental assessment, a draft of which is available for public comment. The agency will then determine if a full environmental impact statement is needed. There would be a Loop transport system inside the tunnel enabling travelling speeds up to 240 km/h. The route could eventually be extended all the way to New York City.

Chicago Express Loop

AEV going to Chicago’s O’Hare Internation Airport (Credit: The Boring Company)

A pair of 30-kilometer tunnels would connect downtown Chicago with O’Hare International Airport. The Loop transport system would use AEVs for up to 16 passengers moving at speeds of up to 240 km/h and one would depart every 30 seconds. It is estimated that the system would transport 2,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The journey would take 12 minutes and a ticket would cost 20 to 25 dollars. Unfortunately, the project was supported primarily by former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and his mandate ended before he managed to push the project through the permitting process. And since his successor is not a fan of the proposed tunnel, the project is likely dead.

Cancelled Projects

Experimental tunnel in Westside

Planned route of the cancelled tunnel in L. A. (Credit: The Boring Company)

In May 2018, The Boring Company announced plans to build an experimental tunnel in Los Angeles that would run along Sepulveda Boulevard and wouldn’t be open to the public. However, after this announcement, local residents protested against the project. In the end, the construction never started and The Boring Company announced in November 2018 that it was cancelling the plans and would instead skip straight to constructing the Dugout Loop.

Potential Projects

  1. Elon Musk said in May 2018 that the Boring Company would start building a tunnel connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco “hopefully next year“. This tunnel would be dedicated to a full-blown Hyperloop system, as opposed to the slower and simpler Loop. It is not clear whether the Boring Company would only build the tunnel and the Hyperloop technology would be supplied by an external company, or the Boring Company would provide both.
  2. The Mayor of San Jose, Sam Liccardo, announced in February 2019 that he was in talks with the Boring Company for a potential tunnel project that would connect San Jose International Airport with Diridon Station (distance around 6 km).
  3. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has proposed a new underground particle accelerator with a circumference of 100 km. In response to this, Elon Musk revealed that CERN’s director had asked him about the possibility that the Boring Company would provide the tunnel. CERN confirmed that the discussion has taken place and the organization is open to working with the Boring Company.
  4. A 50-kilometer tunnel through the Australia’s Blue Mountains, located 100 kilometers west of Sydney, was vaguely proposed. Musk said that a two-way tunnel would cost about $15 million per kilometer, plus another $50 million for each station.
  5. New York City representatives had talks in the past regarding a Boring Company tunnel that would connect Manhattan with John F. Kennedy International Airport.
  6. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he spoke in the past with Elon Musk about potential cooperation with the Boring Company on a transportation project in Israel.

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