Guests get a tour of the Boring Machine before the Boring Company begins tunnelling for the Las Vegas Convention Center people moverThe Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has begun tunnelling the future of transportation as Elon Musk's The Boring Company (TBC) starts work on the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).
The first commercial endeavour for TBC and also a first for Las Vegas, the underground project will be a 'people mover' to transport convention attendees throughout the 200-acre campus.
"This is truly a significant occasion for Las Vegas," said Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO.
"Our collaboration with The Boring Company continues to elevate the innovative experiences we offer our visitors and will ensure that our expanded convention facilities are among the most tech-forward in the world.
"We took the concept of utilising the underground people mover from an idea on paper to tunnelling in less than a year, demonstrating our board's willingness to embrace bold, new ideas with the potential to change the face of transportation in Southern Nevada and beyond."
Conceptual rendering of a Boring Company People Mover station at the Las Vegas Convention Center, released November 2019. (The Boring Company)The USD 52.5 million underground people mover will include three passenger stations connecting the existing 297,000 square metres of convention space with the LVCC's new 130,000 sqm West Hall currently under construction, part of a USD 1.52 billion expansion and renovation.
The transportation system will allow convention attendees to be whisked across the LVCC's 200-acre campus in just over one minute -- free of charge -- in all-electric Tesla vehicles capable of holding between three and 16 people. The system will be designed for ridership of at least 4,400 passengers per hour and is scalable depending on convention attendance.
"Less than one year ago, this project was just an idea on paper; today, we're ready to begin tunnelling," said the president of The Boring Company Steve Davis. "Thanks to our partners at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for the opportunity to build our first commercial project here. We are excited about the future of Loop transportation in Las Vegas."
When completed in January 2021, the underground people mover will be comprised of two vehicular tunnels with an expected total length of approximately one mile each. The system will have the potential in the future to expand and link key visitor attractions throughout Las Vegas, such as Downtown Las Vegas, Las Vegas Strip, McCarran International Airport and beyond.
