Elon Musk’s Boring Company completes tunnel dig at Las Vegas Convention Center

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Updated Apr 19, 2021
The tunnel boring machine crashes through a concrete wall May 15 as it completes the second of two one-way tunnels for the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop. Credit: Las Vegas Convention CenterThe tunnel boring machine crashes through a concrete wall May 15 as it completes the second of two one-way tunnels for the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop. Credit: Las Vegas Convention Center

Elon Musk’s Boring Company has completed the tunnel excavation of its underground transportation system for the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The project, called the Convention Center Loop, is part of a $980 million expansion of the convention center’s West Hall, which is scheduled to be completed in January.

The Loop, being constructed at a cost of $52.5 million, will be traveled by all-electric Tesla vehicles that will shuttle visitors across the convention center’s campus. The Loop will have three stops and will take riders across the 200-acre campus in under 2 minutes – instead of a 30-minute walk, according to the convention center. The Loop will be a free service for convention center attendees. Construction is underway on the passenger stations, and the convention center project is about 80 percent complete, the center says.

The Boring Company’s tunneling machine broke through the concrete wall near the future West Hall on May 14. It was the completion of the second of two one-way tunnels for the loop, which will connect the 1.4-million-square-foot West Hall with the main campus.

A convention center video of the tunnel machine’s breakthrough is shown below:

Tunneling began 40 feet underground November 15, 2019, on the “People Mover.” It is the Boring Company’s first commercial venture. Each tunnel is about a mile long with the ability to be expanded to other Vegas attractions, according to the convention center.

Passengers will load into all-electric Tesla vehicles that carry three to 16 passengers, depending on the vehicle. The Loop will use 62 Teslas and can carry 4,400 passengers per hour across the campus, the center says. The vehicles will be driven by people but eventually will be autonomous. They will travel about 40 mph.

The three stations will be at South Hall, Central Hall and West Hall. Paving has already begun on the first tunnel and is expected to begin in a few weeks on the second tunnel, the center says.

“This milestone not only helps usher in the future of transportation in Las Vegas, but it signals the destination’s ability to push through during trying times and continue to meet the evolving needs of our visitors,” says Steve Hill, the convention center’s CEO and president. “Las Vegas continues to break through boundaries, and we look forward to offering this first-of-its-kind transportation solution to our convention attendees.”