Musk Says He'll Take You From NY To DC In A Half-Hour: How Traditional Travel Compares

No dream is too big for Elon Musk.

He’s realizing a world of autonomous driving, planning a colony on Mars, building the world’s largest battery to power South Australian homes, and now aiming to shuttle commuters between New York and Washington, D.C., in under half an hour.

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

If his 700-miles-per-hour tube train works out, Musk’s service would significantly cut travel time between the city centers. By Google Maps estimates, mid-afternoon travel takes 55 minutes by plane, 146 minutes by Amtrak and 262 minutes by car. Peak hours are even longer.

The Strategy

The Tesla Inc TSLA and SpaceX CEO plans to achieve the transportation feat through The Boring Company, a private venture he founded in 2016 to connect major U.S. cities through a network of underground tunnels.

He intends to get started in the heavily congested greater Los Angeles before breaking ground on the east-coast route. Los Angeles to San Francisco is also in the playbook, as is a Texas loop.

Despite having received an unofficial nod for the New York-D.C. line, Musk noted that it will take a lot of work to secure formal approval. However, he is “optimistic” for rapid progress.

The proposed tunnel will be accessible by at least a dozen entry and exit elevators in each city.

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