Musk gets approval for massive tunnel expansion across Las Vegas

The ‘Vegas Loop’ go-ahead follows Musk’s two previous short tunnels which opened earlier this year and run beneath the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The US$50m project was completed in just over 12 months.

Musk is now able to advance his Loop proposals which will see tunnels connecting 51 stations at locations which include casinos (along the Strip), the city football stadium, UNLV, the Las Vegas Convention Centre and McCarran International Airport. One casino owner described the development as “the best thing to happen to Las Vegas”.

The approval granted is for a dual-loop alignment only and will mean each of the planned 51 stations will require to go through a separate land permit and approvals process. Furthermore, no connection of the monorail to other existing public transportation systems will be possible.

Clark County said the network will be constructed without public money and could handle up to 57,000 passengers per hour. It was reported that Musk will pay for the tunnelling costs but the construction of individual stations will be paid for by casino owners and other relevant beneficiaries. Under the agreement, The Boring Company (TBC) will pay Clark County an initial franchise fee, then subsequently payable every quarter. TBC envisions future expansion of the line to other areas of the Las Vegas Valley.