Blog Boring Company Opens Vegas Loop

The Boring Company’s people-moving “Loop” be beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center started carrying passengers this week.

The $52.5 million tunnel is filled with Tesla vehicles that carry passengers around the 1.7-mile stretch.

The construction took about 18 months and was finished about two months ago. The system is ten-times faster than walking around the convention center.

“We’re grateful to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and all local stakeholders for providing us the opportunity to construct our first commercial project in one of the world’s most dynamic destinations,” Boring Co. President Steve Davis said in a statement reported by The Los Angeles Business Journal. “We are proud to have developed and delivered an exciting transportation solution to the Las Vegas Convention Center.”

The Loop currently consists of three passenger stations.  Passengers can travel the entire route in about two minutes at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. The company ultimately plans to use a fleet of 62 Tesla vehicles that can carry up to 4,400 people per hour.

 

[Cosmacelf]

They haven't updated the map since July 2023 but if you take the Virgin Hotel break as a sign of progress you could doctor up a simple highlighted version.

That new tunnel is the longest section in the system now. If they connect it to the airport (which seems like the goal) it will see high traffic from people going from the airport to the convention center / Westgate hotel / Encore hotel / Resorts World hotel area.

It would also be a chance to see vehicles at higher speeds as it's a much straighter and longer tunnel.

According to an X post they haven’t dug that long tunnel yet. It’s a shorter segment they are working on,

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794533348016296315

 

[dhanson865]

According to an X post they haven’t dug that long tunnel yet. It’s a shorter segment they are working on,

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794533348016296315

OK so modify the homegrown highlight to this. They've started away from the existing loop and are cutting back towards to connect.

Still nice to know they are planning a longer high speed connection as the next step.

 

[kbM3]

I did. Makes no sense.

Have you never been to Vegas? Can you not see how it’s far better to get to your casino from the airport in 8 minutes versus up to 1 hour?

 

[Knightshade]

Have you never been to Vegas? Can you not see how it’s far better to get to your casino from the airport in 8 minutes versus up to 1 hour?

FWIW I have, a fair bit... the monorail was supposed to solve that almost 20 years ago but the extension there never got built-- I agree connecting to the airport is the killer app, but TBCs a long way off from getting there either at current dig rate.... you're also going to have slower run rates when you're needing to take an extra couple minutes, both ways, to load/unload luggage from the trunk.

Speaking of the monorail, where the actual stations go will matter a lot too-- one reason the monorail sucks is a lot of the stations are way in the back and a long walk to any place you actually wanted to get to from the station... so much so it was often faster to walk down the strip unless you were going a fairly long distance ( (doubly so if it was on the other side LVB)--- these too are things TBC can potentially fix but that'll be up to the casinos and if they're at-grade stations like some of the existing TBC ones are they're not gonna be super-central because the casino won't want to give up that much prime above-ground space

 

[mongo]

you're also going to have slower run rates when you're needing to take an extra couple minutes, both ways, to load/unload luggage from the trunk.

Latency != throughput
If loading/ unloading tajes lobger, plan more loading/unloading spots. Tunnel capacity remains unchanged

if they're at-grade stations like some of the existing TBC ones are they're not gonna be super-central because the casino won't want to give up that much prime above-ground space

Above ground stations do not take much space, especially with minimal luggage. Station could be separated from entrance with the vehicle joining tye normal queue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoringCompany/comments/kra6m5/in_the_tunnels_ends_with_the_laying_of_the_asphalt

 

[Knightshade]

Latency != throughput
If loading/ unloading tajes lobger, plan more loading/unloading spots. Tunnel capacity remains unchanged

I mean, the # of cars you can put in the tunnel is the same--- but the # actually moving through it will be lower unless you add more cars given you're adding minutes, on both ends of the trip, to each car when it's NOT in the tunnel- This makes airport trips different from normal point to point in the city.

That's not insurmountable or anything- just another factor they'll need to plan for.... Likewise demand will vary by flight times and they'd want to adjust fleet size available at given times accordingly-- this isn't too different from the problem you need to solve for surge demand on rideshares around events or normal workday hours.

Above ground stations do not take much space, especially with minimal luggage. Station could be separated from entrance with the vehicle joining tye normal queue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BoringCompany/comments/kra6m5/in_the_tunnels_ends_with_the_laying_of_the_asphalt

Unclear what you mean by normal queue- do you mean like the line of cabs waiting to drop people off at front of hotel? That would be an excellent solution where possible- but moving from the station to in/out of the front-of-hotel queue would add even more time to each trip-- and also require the hotel to have a route where you can get from the front-of-door queue BACK to the station easily and quickly (but in a way you won't have normal cars going in there by accident)

 

[mongo]

I mean, the # of cars you can put in the tunnel is the same--- but the # actually moving through it will be lower unless you add more cars given you're adding minutes, on both ends of the trip, to each car when it's NOT in the tunnel- This makes airport trips different from normal point to point in the city.

That's not insurmountable or anything- just another factor they'll need to plan for.... Likewise demand will vary by flight times and they'd want to adjust fleet size available at given times accordingly-- this isn't too different from the problem you need to solve for surge demand on rideshares around events or normal workday hours.





Unclear what you mean by normal queue- do you mean like the line of cabs waiting to drop people off at front of hotel? That would be an excellent solution where possible- but moving from the station to in/out of the front-of-hotel queue would add even more time to each trip-- and also require the hotel to have a route where you can get from the front-of-door queue BACK to the station easily and quickly (but in a way you won't have normal cars going in there by accident)

Right, a few more cars and more spots, not insurmountable, just logistical.

The convention center already has automated gates for vehicles to leave the loop for the streets, so not a big problem.

 

[Cosmacelf]

More info on the Vegas Loop: Vegas Loop tunnel reaches off-Strip resort

 

[Knightshade]

More info on the Vegas Loop: Vegas Loop tunnel reaches off-Strip resort

The tunnel reached there- there's no passenger station and it's not connected to any other stop though...

They also have tunnels (with no passenger station) at Wynn and Encore/Westgate.... Only resorts world has a passenger station outside the LVCC stops.

 

[Cosmacelf]

The tunnel reached there- there's no passenger station and it's not connected to any other stop though...

They also have tunnels (with no passenger station) at Wynn and Encore/Westgate.... Only resorts world has a passenger station outside the LVCC stops.

What do you mean by a “passenger station”? You mean somewhere to pick up passengers? It looks like Westgate will pick up passengers at the main lobby entrance, which is pretty convenient.

 

[Knightshade]

What do you mean by a “passenger station”? You mean somewhere to pick up passengers? It looks like Westgate will pick up passengers at the main lobby entrance, which is pretty convenient.

Yes, I mean a place for actual people to actually use the system- pick up and drop off- not just a raw tunnel.

Currently Resorts world is the only one that exists outside LVCC despite there being several raw tunnels other places (including the one at Virgin that's not even connected to anything else on top of not having a station right now)

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-loop-tunnel-reaches-virgin-hotel-near-unlv-company-announces-on-x/

the loop has established service under the Strip to Resorts World and completed tunnels to Westgate Las Vegas and Wynn Las Vegas. Resorts World is the only place a station for passengers has opened so far.

That's from one of the stores about a raw tunnel showing up at Virgin.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Yes, I mean a place for actual people to actually use the system- pick up and drop off- not just a raw tunnel.

Currently Resorts world is the only one that exists outside LVCC despite there being several raw tunnels other places (including the one at Virgin that's not even connected to anything else on top of not having a station right now)

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-loop-tunnel-reaches-virgin-hotel-near-unlv-company-announces-on-x/

That's from one of the stores about a raw tunnel showing up at Virgin.

I guess you didn’t understand my post. Westgate does have a completed passenger pick up and drop off area. That article is wrong (shocking, I know), or can be misinterpreted.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1784615059936911825

 

[Knightshade]

Well, first- I appreciate the added detail-- but the article is not wrong.

Even your own link says there's a "coming soon" sign--- meaning the actual claim in the article- that only Resorts World has an open passenger station outside LVCC, is correct.

Westgate might have one any minute though, but not yet.

(My own previous post didn't make the distinction of 'open' as the article did- I apologize for that but the edit window is closed on the post so can't correct)

 

[Dan D.]

Why they're still stuck with 4/5 seat cars is simply that Tesla hasn't gotten around to making any others and they're not gonna buy from anyone else- which is bad for system volume but at least doesn't really need more explanation.

Solution:

>System will be ADA compliant
It's not.

Solution:

Ok, the ADA wheelchair one is a joke, but no reason they couldn't design & tow a trailer - maybe with ~12 seats. Properly able to take the 35mph, slopes, and with mandatory locking seatbelts like a "ride". I mean, there's no smog, it's not raining in there, and no wind, bugs, sun, or other hazards. It's kind of stupid, but could increase throughput in peak times; they'd need adapt the pullouts for loading, but could be done.

 

[FtechPro]

walked right past one not realizing it was a terminal I thought it was a charge station. Really putting the terminal outside in Vegas in the brand new wing was stupid. They should of had it accessible from indoor. Granted this was likely not a Boring company decision.