In a series of tweets, SpaceX and Tesla owner Elon Musk gave commuters on the East Coast a reason to get excited. According to Musk, he received verbal approval for The Boring Company to build a New York City to Washington, DC Hyperloop that would link these cities in a quick, 29-minute trip.
Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017
The route would also stop in Philadelphia and Baltimore, with Musk promising up to a dozen entry/exit p0ints in the city centers. Right now it takes four hours to drive between New York City and Washington, DC, and three hours to travel by train, making this a significant step toward linking cities with cutting-edge transportation.
Musk is careful to note that he still needs formal approval, but he's optimistic that this will occur quickly. He's also encouraging people to get out and call their local and federal representatives to let them know their opinions on the matter, as this can speed things up.
Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017
If you want this to happen fast, please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017
Musk conceived Hyperloop technology in 2012 and has since made the concept open source in order to further its development. The New York to DC project would run parallel to a projected tunnel under Los Angeles that The Boring Company wants to build in order to ease traffic. Still, it's unclear if Musk is just drumming up support for the project or has something concrete, as calls that The Guardian made to public officials in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC didn't turn up a positive affirmation of his claims.
Stay tuned and fingers crossed for a shorter commute!
h/t: [Inhabitat]
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