The Las Vegas Convention Center is undergoing a renovation, and as part of this its tourism authority wants The Boring Company to burrow a high-speed transport loop beneath the surface. Though initial plans will focus on ferrying event attendees around the facility in time for CES 2021, they also call for possible connections beyond the facility's perimeter as part of a wider transport network for the city.
As it stands, the Las Vegas Convention Center welcomes more than one million people through its doors each year. Authorities expect this figure to only grow as it expands the facility to span 200 acres in time for CES 2021, where attendees would need to walk around two miles (3.2 km) to cover the space from end-to-end.
This prompted the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) to put the feelers out for some on-property transport concepts, interview the candidates and then now land on a solution that ticks the right boxes. It has today announced a recommendation for The Boring Company to both design and construct a "people mover" for the center, which would shuttle attendees around the facility in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds.
"The selection of The Boring Company for the Las Vegas Convention Center's on-property, guest transportation solution leads the way to the evolution of transportation overall in Southern Nevada," said LVCVA CEO and President Steve Hill. "Our destination thrives on innovation and reinvention and The Boring Company's concept allows us to continue providing the world-class experience our guests and clients have come to expect and move people in an efficient and cost-effective manner with advanced technology."
Though The Boring Company has already put forward some ideas around the design of the system, which is expected to cost between US$35 and $55 million, it will be still be subject to a final approval by the LVCA board of directors on March 12. Assuming that part goes to plan, it will then work with the LVCA to finalize the design, construction and operational plans, and then put a final contract to the board for approval around mid-way through the year.
The Boring Company recently opened its first test tunnel in LA, shuttling guests through a 1.14-mile long (1.83 km) tube in Teslas fitted out with purpose-built retractable wheel gear. Though this remains a demonstration tunnel only, the company hopes it will eventually form part of a wider subterranean transport network beneath the sprawling metropolis. And as we continue to learn, its plans certainly aren't limited to the city of angels, with the city of Chicago also enlisting its services and the Las Vegas Convention Center plans including scope to for connections to downtown, the airport and beyond.
"We are excited to work with the LVCVA to provide a world-class mass transit system in Las Vegas," said Steve Davis, president, The Boring Company. "Upon approval, it can be in use by Las Vegas Convention Center guests within one year, supporting the LVCVA's expansion timeline."
Source: LCVA