Vegas tourism board backs $49M Elon Musk transit system

A company backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk has been awarded a nearly $49 million contract to build a transit system using self-driving vehicles underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority had approved the contract with The Boring Company, the Musk-backed enterprise based in Hawthorne, California.

People would be transported underground on self-driving electric vehicles from three types of Tesla Model X chassis. The system will be capable of transporting up to 16 people at a time through parallel tunnels, each running in a single direction. The twin tunnel system will run less than a mile long.

The system also will include a pedestrian tunnel and three underground stations accessible from the convention center's halls.

The company plans to immediately pursue permits to start construction in September. It aims to debut the system by December 2020.