Elon Musk’s Company to Build ‘Loop’ Transport System in Chicago
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. will get to build a new train-like system that will connect downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport in its new project, Bloomberg reports. This is good news for the private tunnel construction company, founded by Musk in 2016.
“The Boring Company has been selected by the Chicago Infrastructure Trust (CIT), on behalf of the City of Chicago, to design, build, finance, operate and maintain an O’Hare Express service,” The Boring Co. stated.
The project is called the Chicago Express Loop and the train will go as a fast 150 miles per hour. If all goes according to plan, Chicago passengers can expect to arrive at the airport in about 12 minutes. It usually takes 40 minutes to get there by train or car – so this is a remarkable improvement, Bloomberg said.
Loop is the more realistic version Musk’s previous goal that he outlined back in 2013.
“That vision called for a system that would run at 760 miles per hour, which he thought would be perfect for connecting cities that are a few hundred miles apart,” Bloomberg said.
At a news conference on Thursday, Musk said the current project “will ultimately transition to the Hyperloop system,” adding “That’s where you’d want to make use of the Hyperloop” when talking about even longer distances.
The Loop will work completely underground and passengers will be transported on “autonomous electric skates” the company website highlights. It will be able to carry “between 8 and 16 passengers, or a single passenger vehicle.”
The company also said that “Tunnel construction and operation will be silent, invisible and imperceptible at the surface.”
“A success in Chicago would give Boring Co. considerable credibility as it tries to move ahead on other projects, including service within Los Angeles and a planned system between Washington, D.C., and New York City,” Bloomberg added.
Operating for 20 hours per day for every day of the week, the Chicago Express Loop seeks to reduce traffic by providing an efficient, environmentally-safe solution.
