After construction teams spent months drilling, digging, mucking, paving, lining and electrifying tunnels, representatives of the Las Vegas media underground were invited to take their first look at The Boring Co. ‘s $ 52.5 million people-moving system Thursday.
Traveling through the tunnels is an “in Las Vegas only” experience with LED lighting moving through a rainbow of colors from second to second lining of the tunnel walls.
Cars have enough clearance in the tunnels so riders can open doors and get out in emergencies.
Drivers reach a maximum speed of about 35 km / h on the straight roads of the tunnels. The electric vehicles run quietly on the underground paved surfaces. At the end of the tunnel, the Model X and Model 3 Teslas climb a ramp to reach the surface.
Parallel tunnels that are nearly a mile long will transport passengers from the convention goers to and from three stations when the system, developed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, is fully operational. An Occupancy Certificate has been issued to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Crews began drilling the 4475 feet of dirt and rock 40 feet underground in November 2019, completing the first tunnel hole in February 2020. Drilling was completed on the second tunnel in May 2020, and efforts to pave and light the tunnels were completed at the end of last year with several safety checks before the tunnels were transferred to the LVCVA.
Check out one of the tunnels of the Boring Company’s conference center loop. #vegas # drilling company #elonmuskus pic.twitter.com/e7ilc6ZmgQ
– Mick Akers (@mickakers) 9 April 2021
During construction, The Boring Co. does not allow media members to see progress, but invites members of the LVCVA board and dignitaries from other municipalities to see it.
Musk occasionally tweeted photos from the tunnels and stations.
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said that Tesla sedans would initially be used for the system, and that there could eventually be higher-capacity vehicles.
“It seems like this is not the time to increase capacity during a pandemic,” Hill said before several reporters left for the end of the system.
Hill said the Tesla fleet started at 11 vehicles and is expected to expand to 35 and eventually reach 60.
Once the Boring Co is put into service, Tesla vehicles will drive through the tunnel and turn a 15-minute walk on the surface into a ride that lasts a few minutes. Tesla is expected to use vehicles that can carry up to 16 passengers in the system, but it has not yet been announced when the vehicles would be delivered.
Although the tunnels and vehicles are designed to operate in an autonomous mode, LVCVA officials said drivers of Boring Co. in the early stages of their service will be used for extra security.
The system is designed with three stations, one underground near the entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center’s central hall and two above-ground stations at the two ends of the system. Paved driveways are available for vehicles to climb to the surface for above-ground loading at the eastern and western ends of the trail. The eastern station, known as Station 1, is near an entrance to the South Hall, while Station 3, on the west side of the conference center campus, is near the new West Hall.
No details on queuing and loading procedures or waiting times for rides were given.
Here is the escalator to the central station of the Boring Company’s conference center. #vegas # drilling company #elonmuskus pic.twitter.com/RS0g3AuPKO
– Mick Akers (@mickakers) 8 April 2021
Future tunnel projects
Other tunnel projects from Boring Co. is on hand in Las Vegas. Wynn Resorts Ltd., the executives of Encore, and the Genting Group, which builds Resorts World, have negotiated direct tunnels connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center with Encore Las Vegas and Resorts World Las Vegas.
In addition, The Boring Co. negotiated with the city of Las Vegas and Clark County to develop the so-called “Vegas Loop,” a 15-mile underground transit system with stations at local resorts and attractions.
Hill said Boring indicated that the cost of riding the Vegas Loop system would cost between the amount it would take to take a bus and the amount it would cost for an Uber ride. Like the traditional companies that drive, the cost is per vehicle and not per person.
The biggest difference between the Vegas Loop and the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, besides the length, is the event centers, which were contracted to be built by the LVCVA, will be free for customers to ride while the Vegas Loop is being built . speculation with resorts paying for their own stations and riders being charged with being transported inside the tunnels to their destinations.
The contract to build the Convention Center Loop was controversial because Musk’s company had never built one for commercial use, and the local system would be the first to operate. The city of Miami is interested in the system because it is considering a tunnel under the Miami River to connect downtown with the Brickell Financial District.
The Teslas will have drivers when the Boring Company system launches at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but the plan is to switch to autonomous rides in the future. #vegas # drilling company pic.twitter.com/JWak5q8vNL
– Mick Akers (@mickakers) 8 April 2021
One major advantage of the Musk system is that it is inexpensive to build. Tunnels are much narrower than ordinary subway tunnels, and The Boring Co. ‘s drilling machine produces bricks to feed the tunnel while digging, making it economical to build.
The Boring Co. said the city-wide tunnel system would work like driving with a passenger who chooses the destination and the vehicle takes the most direct route there without stopping at other stations.
The company did not announce how much it would charge passengers.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at [email protected] or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.