Ellie Abraham
Dec 18, 2023
Netflix
An underground tunnel built beneath Las Vegas for Tesla cars has baffled internet users after “claustrophobic” footage went viral.
Elon Musk has been behind several bizarre ideas as the owner of The Boring Company. The latest to gain significant attention is the “Vegas Loop” system – essentially a big tunnel built under the city.
According to the company it is designed to help people avoid traffic and provide “fast and convenient transportation”.
The Boring Company claimed: “Once complete, the Vegas Loop will transport more than 90,000 passengers per hour.
“Clark County and the City of Las Vegas have approved a total of 68 miles of tunnel and 93 stations for the Vegas Loop.”
The loop currently has five stations in operation and uses Tesla cars to transport people between them. They drive at a maximum speed of 35 mph as footage reveals that tunnels are only just wide enough to accommodate the vehicles.
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One viral TikTok clip showed the one-way tunnels are lined with colourful lights that change colour.
Some have suggested the video triggered their “claustrophobia” due to the enclosed space. Others have claimed the single-laned tunnels could be a recipe for disaster in an emergency situation.
One person wrote: “Single lane tunnels, What could go wrong?”
Another said: “Kind of gives me claustrophobia.”
“Imagine the car dies in the middle of the tunnel,” someone else added.
One person argued that it was an “EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT subway”, but the company has argued it is more efficient than a subway, although for individual users.
The Boring Company explained: “If a subway line had 100 stops, a train would typically stop at each station, so the trip between Stop 1 and Stop 100 would be long.
“In contrast, Loop passengers travel directly to their destination, anywhere between Stop 1 to Stop 100, without stopping at the intermediate stations.”
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