Boring Company

The Boring Company (TBC) is an American infrastructure, tunnel construction service, and equipment company founded by Elon Musk. TBC was founded as a subsidiary of SpaceX in 2017, and was spun off as a separate corporation in 2018. TBC has completed multiple test tunnels and one tunneling project that is open to the public.

In 2018, TBC completed one test tunnel in Los Angeles County, California. In 2021, TBC completed the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop, a three-station transportation system with of tunnels. As of April 2024, a segment to Resorts World Las Vegas is also open, and tunnels to Encore and Westgate resorts are being finalized. The system is planned to expand to a total of of tunnels.

Many other TBC projects in cities across the United States were announced, but subsequently became inactive or were canceled.

History

Musk announced the idea of the Boring Company in December 2016, and it was officially registered as "TBC – The Boring Company" on January 11, 2017. Musk cited difficulty with Los Angeles traffic, and what he sees as limitations of its two-dimensional transportation network, as his early inspiration for the project. The Boring Company was formed as a SpaceX subsidiary.Agenda Item No. 9, City of Hawthorne City Council, Agenda Bill
, 11 September 2018, Planning & Community Development Department, City of Hawthorne. Retrieved 13 September 2018. According to Musk, the company's goal is to enhance tunneling speed enough such that establishing a tunnel network is financially feasible.

In early 2018, the Boring Company was spun out from SpaceX and into a separate corporate entity. Somewhat less than 10% of equity was given to early employees, and over 90% to Elon Musk. Early employees came from a variety of different backgrounds, including those from SpaceX. The company began designing its own tunnel boring machines, and completed several tests in Hawthorne, California. The Hawthorne test tunnel opened to the public on December 18, 2018.

After raising US$113 million from Musk himself, supplemented by TBC merchandise sales during 2018, the Boring Company sold $120 million in stock to venture capital firms in July 2019. By November 2019, Steve Davis had become company president after leading efforts for Musk since 2016. Davis was one of the earliest hires at SpaceX (in 2003) and has twin master's degrees in particle physics and aerospace engineering, as well as degrees in finance and mechanical engineering. In November 2020, TBC announced hiring for positions in Austin, Texas, and by December 2020 had leased two buildings in a industrial complex northeast of Austin, approximately north of Texas Gigafactory.

On April 20, 2022, the company announced an additional $675 million Series C funding round, valuing the company at approximately $5.675 billion. The round was led by Vy Capital and Sequoia Capital, with participation from Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund, 8VC, Craft Ventures, and DFJ Growth. In 2022, the company was cited by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for five violations of Texas environmental regulations.

Sometime before April 2023, the company moved their headquarters and engineering facilities to Bastrop, Texas, approximately east of Texas Gigafactory.

Machines

The first boring machine used by TBC was Godot, a conventional tunnel boring machine (TBM) made by Lovat. TBC then designed their own line of machines called Prufrock. Prufrock 1 was unveiled in 2020, and was used mostly for testing. ''Engadget'' reported that the Prufrock 2, which was unveiled in August 2022, could dig up to a mile per week. The same website claimed that Prufrock 3 was planned to dig up to seven miles per day, although this figure does not seem to have come from TBC itself. In 2024, Prufrock 3 was able to tunnel 40–46 meters/day.

Process

TBC claims to be redesigning the entire tunnel boring process to reduce cost, accelerate tunnel completion, improve safety, and reduce site impacts. Innovations include:

Porpoising

Replace tunnel entry and exit excavations by having the TBM "porpoise" in and out of the ground. The TBM is trucked in and placed at an angle to the ground. (Prufrock 2 and 3 required an earthen ramp to set it at the correct angle before beginning to tunnel). It then bores into the ground. It changes angles as it continues boring, eventually returning to the surface and being loaded onto the truck.

In conventional systems, one large excavation is made at the tunnel entrance to allow the TBM to be lowered to the tunnel depth and assembled. A similar excavation is made at the tunnel exit to allow the TBM to be disassembled and lifted out.

Liner truck

TBC moves tunnel lining segments into the tunnel via an all-electric autonomous, wheeled liner truck powered by motors and batteries from Tesla. Conventional systems typically use a diesel rail system, which must be constructed along with the tunnel lining.

Continuous tunneling

TBC is working to install ring liners without stopping tunneling. Conventional systems stop every five feet or so to install another segment of the tunnel lining, and to extend the rail line. The goal is to increase tunneling time/day from 11 hours to 24 hours. This was first demonstrated in 2025.

Zero-people-in-tunnel

In 2025 TBC demonstrated a machine that could tunnel with no people monitoring/working with it inside the tunnel, including erecting 12-ton ring cylinders.

Tunnels

Hawthorne test tunnel

TBC built a high-speed tunnel in 2017 on a route in Hawthorne, California, at the SpaceX headquarters and manufacturing facility. The tunnel roadway has an asphalt surface, a guide-way for autonomous vehicle operation, and supports car trips at speeds of with autonomous control and up to under human control.Watch Tesla Model 3 go through Elon Musk's Boring Company now paved tunnel at 116 mph
, 21 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.

Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)

Convention Center

In May 2019, the company won a $48.7 million project to shuttle visitors in a loop underneath the LVCC. Boring of the first tunnel, long, began on November 15, 2019, and finished on February 14, 2020, excavating an average of per day. In May 2020, the boring of the second tunnel was completed, for a total of of tunnels. The tunnel opened in October 2021. Standard Tesla vehicles with human drivers are used as shuttles, traveling at about . The service was described by Las Vegas Tourism as "an important step in the development of a game-changing transportation solution in Las Vegas".

Testing with volunteers in late May 2021 showed that the system could transport 4,400 passengers per hour. The system started transporting convention attendees on June 8, 2021. Designed to solve traffic congestion, the tunnel was intended to provide trips of less than two minutes, but has faced a number of traffic jams during busy events in 2021 and 2022.

Private tunnels to convention center

The tunnel to Resorts World Las Vegas opened in July 2022. As of April 2024, Las Vegas strip hotel Encore has a private tunnel underway to allow direct access from the hotel to LVCC.

Vegas Loop

In October 2021, Clark County Commissioners approved a 50-year franchise agreement for a 52-stop, mostly-underground system, a " dual loop system...operating mainly in the Resort Corridor with stations at various resorts and connections to Allegiant Stadium, Brightline West Las Vegas Station, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas". TBC planned to build five to ten stations during the first year, and then add approximately 16 stations per year thereafter. TBC would be responsible for funding the tunnel, while station costs would be funded by the resort properties and landowners.Underground people mover could link to Allegiant Stadium next year
, ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'', 10 June 2021

In May 2023, TBC was given permission to build the Vegas Loop underground transportation system to 69 stations for a tunnel network of . It would include the existing LVCC Loop and extensions to casinos along the Strip, Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, downtown Las Vegas, and eventually to Los Angeles. TBC claims that once complete, the Vegas Loop would be able to transport more than 90,000 passengers per hour.

Due to operational expenses, it is probable that the Boring Company is subsidizing the Loop to keep customer prices low. A day pass from Resorts World costs $5, while the LVCVA is paying the Boring Company an additional $4.5 million annually, which equates to $7.50 per ride.

In February 2024, Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found several safety violations at TBC, and fined it $112,000. The violations included eight serious violations from June to October 2023 and allegations that workers have faced chemical burns from sludge while working in the tunnels. Numerous employee accounts described the working conditions as "almost unbearable". The company challenged the ruling.

In March 2024, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors voted to extend the existing tunnel, and vowed to address concerns that arose over the OSHA violations.

In April 2024, the Boring Company work in Las Vegas was named among the "Dirty Dozen", the worst workplace safety offenders in the US, by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

Dubai Loop

In February 2025, the Boring Company and Roads & Transport Authority (Dubai) announced an agreement to build the Dubai Loop in the United Arab Emirates. According to the memorandum of understanding, the pilot phase will include 11 stations over under the most congested areas of Dubai, transporting 20,000 passengers per hour at speeds up to . The loop is planned to expand to handle 100,000 passengers per hour. No timeline was given.

Projects under discussion

Inquiries and discussions have been held with the Boring Company for various projects.

In February 2021, Miami mayor Francis Suarez revealed that Musk had proposed to dig a two-mile tunnel under the Miami River for $30 million, within a six-month timescale, compared with $1 billion over four years estimated by the local transit authority. Much of the savings would be achieved by simplifying ventilation systems and allowing only electric vehicles. As of November 2023, the city is waiting for the Miami Dade Transportation Planning Organization to complete an analysis of the project.

In August 2021, a preliminary concept discussion was held with officials of Cameron County on the potential construction of a tunnel from South Padre Island to Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. If built, the tunnel would be required to pass beneath the Brownsville Ship Channel. It would allow SpaceX's facilities at Starbase to remain accessible if Highway 4, its sole access road, was closed.

Inactive and cancelled projects

United States

Washington, DC to

Baltimore, Maryland

In 2017, Musk announced plans to build a Hyperloop connecting Washington, DC to Baltimore. This was supplanted in 2018 by a proposal to build a route following the Baltimore–Washington Parkway. The Maryland Transportation Authority officially approved the project. In 2019, a draft Environmental Assessment for the project was completed. As of 2021, the project was no longer listed on the company website.

Chicago, Illinois

In 2018, the company won a bid to build a high-speed link from downtown Chicago to O'Hare Airport, to be known as the Chicago Express Loop. As of 2021, the plan had been dropped.

Los Angeles, California

In 2018, TBC proposed to develop a test tunnel on a north–south alignment parallel to Interstate 405 and adjacent to Sepulveda Boulevard. Public opposition and lawsuits led the company to abandon the idea. Also in 2018, the company proposed to build a tunnel called the "Dugout Loop" from Vermont Avenue to Dodger Stadium. , the project had been removed from TBC's website.

San Jose, California

In 2019, a link between San Jose International Airport and Diridon station, was discussed as an alternative to an $800 million traditional rail link. Plans were later dropped.

San Bernardino County, California

In February 2021, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) in California approved beginning contract negotiations with TBC to build a nearly tunnel connecting the Ontario airport with the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink/Future Brightline West train station. However, TBC did not submit a proposal after a third party was involved to study the project impacts. As of 2022, the SBCTA has plans to build the tunnel system using "another company more familiar with the state's bureaucracy to do the Environmental Impact Report".

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

In July 2021, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, accepted a proposal from the Boring Company for a tunnel between downtown and the beach, to be dubbed the " Las Olas Loop". In August 2021, the city was beginning final negotiations with TBC, and Mayor Dean Trantalis estimated the total cost of the round-trip tunnel would be between $90 and $100 million, including stations. As of December 2022, the city suspended efforts to continue the project.

Australia

Blue Mountains

In January 2019, Musk responded to a tweet by an Australian member of parliament regarding a tunnel through the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, suggesting costs of $750 million for a tunnel, plus $50 million per station. New South Wales' transportation department found that based on the cost of the Hawthorne tunnel, the estimated cost would be closer to $6 billion. Work on the tunnel does not appear to have progressed beyond Musk's initial tweet, and is not listed on the company's website.

Promotional merchandise

In 2018, the company began offering 20,000 "flamethrowers" for preordering. The "flamethrower" was a blow torch shaped to look like a gun and is legal in all U.S. states except Maryland. All 20,000 "flamethrowers" were sold in just a few days. After customs officials said that they would not allow imports of any items called "flamethrowers", Musk announced that he would rename them to "Not-A-Flamethrower" since the devices were in fact akin to roofing torches. Musk announced separate sales of a fire extinguisher, which he described as "overpriced... but this one comes with a cool sticker".

Not-a-Boring Competition student contests

In 2020, TBC released rules for a student tunnel-boring competition. The first competition was held in Las Vegas in September 2021. Officially named the Not-a-Boring Competition, the challenge was to "quickly and accurately drill a tunnel that was -long and -wide".

Applications were received from 400 potential participants. A technical design review left 12 teams that were invited to Las Vegas to demonstrate their engineering solution in a September 2021 competition. The winning team was ''TUM Boring'' from Technical University of Munich who managed to excavate a bore while meeting the requisite safety requirements. ''TUM Boring'' used a conventional pipe jacking method to build the tunnel, but employed a novel revolving pipe storage design to minimize downtime between pipe segments.

A second competition was held in April 2023. New contest criteria required a -long -diameter, this time with a turn radius. Five teams from four countries—the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Switzerland—made the finals and journeyed to Texas to compete. ''TUM Boring'' again won with a design that reached a maximum velocity of . ''Swissloop Tunneling'' finished second overall and won the innovation award.

Criticism

Civil engineering experts and tunneling industry veterans questioned whether TBC could render tunnels faster and cheaper than competitors. ''Tunnelling Journal'' dismissed the company as a "vanity project". The low capacity of TBC tunnels make them inefficient compared to existing public transit, with only a fraction of the capacity of a conventional rapid-transit subway.

Musk's planned tunnels were criticized for lacking such safety features as emergency exit corridors, ventilation systems, or fire suppression. In addition, the single lane tunnels left it impossible for vehicles to pass one another in the event of collision, mechanical failure, or other traffic obstruction, and instead would shut down the entire tunnel section.

James Moore, director of transportation engineering at the University of Southern California, said that "there are cheaper ways to provide better transportation for large numbers of people", such as managing traffic with tolls. Public transit consultant Jarrett Walker called TBC "wildly hyped", and criticized how the company "dazzled city governments and investors with visions of an efficient subway where you never have to get out of your car, ut turnedout to be a paved road tunnel".

See also

* Underground construction

References

External links

*
* .
* 55 minutes, video of information session on the vision of the Boring Company and the project in Los Angeles, with Q&A.
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boring Company, The

Elon Musk
2016 establishments in California
American companies established in 2016
Construction and civil engineering companies
Construction equipment manufacturers of the United States
Corporate spin-offs
Hyperloop
Privately held companies based in Texas
SpaceX
Subterranean excavating equipment companies
Underground construction companies