The Boring Co.’s Vegas Loop won approval for a significant expansion of stations and tunnels Wednesday.
The Clark County Commission approved 25 new miles of tunnels and 18 new stations for the loop. This brings the total mileage of the planned loop to 54 and the total stations to 67. The expansion was approved in a 6-1 vote.
The Boring Co., owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, currently operates a small version of the loop under the Las Vegas Convention Center. The loop transports passengers in underground tunnels in Tesla Model X and Y cars.
The expansion will give riders new options on how to navigate the Las Vegas area. In some of the example trips provided to the commission for review were a trip from the Harry Reid International Airport to the Las Vegas Convention Center and a trip from the convention center to the Las Vegas Strip where riders will have access to casinos in the area.
The Boring Co.’s attempts to break into mass transportation have drawn criticism from fans of public transportation since Mr. Musk launched the Vegas Loop in 2021. Public transit advocates say that investing in single-track EV transport, like the Vegas Loop, is more expensive and ultimately less efficient than a subway system or improved busing.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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