Elon Musk: I have 'verbal approval' for New York to DC tunnel
Inventor claims hyperloop is a step closer - but NY official says City Hall knows nothing about it
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, says he has received "verbal government approval" to build a high-speed underground transport system between New York and Washington, DC.
The hyperloop tunnels - a network of vacuum tubes "through which trains or pods could be shot at high speeds" - will be built by the South African-born billionaire's tunnelling firm, The Boring Company, with the aim of shrinking journey time between the two cities from 2hrs 45mins to a mere 29mins.
While there's "still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval", Musk says he is "optimistic" approval will "occur rapidly."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To help speed up the approval process, he asked his followers: "Please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you."
However, The Guardian reports that representatives from cities between New York and Washington, DC were not aware of plans for the tunnels to be built in their areas.
Eric Phillips, press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, said they knew nothing of the plan.
He added: "The entirety of what we know about this proposal is what's in Mr Musk's Tweet," and asked the inventor: "If you're stopping by City Hall, please bring a copy of the proposal. That would help."
This would be the first major project to be undertaken by The Boring Company, which Musk established earlier this year to begin testing outside SpaceX's headquarters in Los Angeles.
According to the Daily Telegraph, he aims to reduce the costs of tunnel "by a factor of ten or more". The current price of building an underground network in the US is $1bn (£770m) per mile.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Bluesky: the social media platform causing a mass X-odus
The Explainer Social media platform is enjoying a new influx but can it usurp big rivals?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the world ready for Tesla's new domestic robots?
Talking Points The debut of Elon Musk's long-promised "Optimus" at a Tesla event last week has renewed debate over the role — and feasibility — of commercial automatons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The next place you'll find Starlink tech isn't a war zone — it's your airplane seat
Under the Radar Several major airlines are offering free in-flight Wi-Fi through the technology
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's X blinks in standoff with Brazil
Speed Read Brazil may allow X to resume operations in the country, as Musk's company agrees to comply with court demand
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Boeing, SpaceX successfully test key rockets
Speed Read Boeing’s Starliner docked at the ISS and SpaceX completed its fourth test launch of its Starship spacecraft
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published