Around two years after having the project approved and one year after finishing construction of the tunnel, The Boring Company's transport loop beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center has now started transporting passengers. The system shuttles convention attendees between underground stations beneath the facility, and is hoped to be the first section of an expanding transport network across city.
As it stands, The Boring Company's Las Vegas Convention Center Loop consists of a pair of one-way tunnels that connect passenger three stations built around 40 ft (12 m) beneath ground level. The entire end-to-end 1.7-mile (2.7-km) journey can be completed in less than two minutes, with passengers able to hop on and off electric Teslas that are steered through the narrow tubes by a human driver at top speeds of around 40 mph (64 km/h), according to Fast Company.
Those familiar with The Boring Company's plans may note this is a far cry from the vision held by founder Elon Musk when starting the venture around five years ago. Musk imagined elevators lowering vehicles down from street level on skates, before deploying them onto tracks in underground tunnel networks and traveling autonomously at high speeds. In fact, The Boring Company's own website still states the Loop vehicles can travel at up to 150 mph (240 km/h).
While its first tangible commercial operation might seem underwhelming compared to such lofty ambitions, the company says the Loop is capable of transporting 4,400 passengers per hour, and plans are afoot to expand the system to include a new stop at a nearby casino and, eventually, other landmarks in Sin City. This concept is known as the Vegas Loop and, according to the company, could include as many as 43 stations and move 51,000 passengers an hour.
Source: Las Vegas Convention Center
