In a first for Las Vegas and Elon Musk’s The Boring Company (TBC), a boring machine began work on the Las Vegas Convention Center’s (LVCC) underground people mover last week. The $52.5 million underground people mover will transport convention attendees throughout the 200-acre campus in all-electric Tesla vehicles.
“This is truly a significant occasion for Las Vegas,” said Steve Hill, CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). “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 utilizing the underground people mover from an idea on paper to tunneling 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.”
The boring machine is currently 40 feet below ground and the engines were turned on for the first time on November 15. It can carve out 100 feet per day, and with planned upgrades, TBC hopes to increase that pace during the LVCC underground people mover’s development. The LVCVA Board of Directors approved the contract on May 22, 2019.
“Less than one year ago, this project was just an idea on paper; today, we’re ready to begin tunneling,” said The Boring Company President 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.”
The underground people mover will include three passenger stations connecting the existing 3.2 million square feet of convention space with the LVCC’s new 1.4 million-square-foot West Hall currently under construction, part of a $1.52 billion expansion and renovation. The innovative 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 electric 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.
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, and McCarran International Airport.
Other system components include:
- An elevator/escalator system for passenger access to each station
- Pedestrian entrances, exits, coverings from the elements, and landscaping
- Tunnel lighting, power and video surveillance systems
- A fully equipped control room
- Cell phone, WiFi, intercom/PA, remote data and ventilation/life safety systems
Southern Nevada’s tourism industry generates $60 billion in total economic impact, and supports approximately 383,000 jobs and $16.4 billion in local wages and salaries, representing 39 percent of the region’s total workforce. The LVCC expansion and renovation is projected to add more than $800 million in potential economic impact to the destination annually.
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