Las Vegas Marks Start of Convention Center People Mover Project

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) began tunneling the future of transportation in Las Vegas as Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. (TBC) began work on the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) underground people mover to transport convention attendees throughout the 200-acre campus. This is the first commercial endeavor for The Boring Co. and one more first for Las Vegas.

“This is truly a significant occasion for Las Vegas,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO. “Our collaboration with The Boring Co. continues to elevate the innovative experiences we offer our visitors and will ensure that our expanded convention facilities are among the most tech-forward in the world. We took the concept of utilizing the underground people mover from an idea on paper to tunneling in less than a year, demonstrating our board’s willingness to embrace bold, new ideas with the potential to change the face of transportation in Southern Nevada and beyond.”

The boring machine is currently 40 ft below ground and the engines were turned on for the first time on Nov. 15. Invited guests received an exclusive underground tour of the boring machine, which can carve out 100 ft per day. With planned upgrades, TBC hopes to increase that pace during the LVCC underground people mover’s development. The LVCVA Board of Directors approved the contract on May 22, 2019.

“Less than one year ago, this project was just an idea on paper; today, we’re ready to begin tunneling,” said The Boring Co. President Steve Davis. “Thanks to our partners at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for the opportunity to build our first commercial project here. We are excited about the future of Loop transportation in Las Vegas.”

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The $52.5 million underground people mover will include three passenger stations connecting the existing 3.2 million sq ft of convention space with the LVCC’s new 1.4 million sq ft West Hall currently under construction, part of a $1.52 billion expansion and renovation. The innovative transportation system will allow convention attendees to be whisked across the LVCC’s 200-acre campus in just over one minute — free of charge — in all-electric Tesla vehicles capable of holding between 3 and 16 people. The system will be designed for ridership of at least 4,400 passengers per hour and is scalable depending on convention attendance.

When completed in January 2021, the underground people mover will comprise two vehicular tunnels with an expected total length of approximately 1 mile each. The system will have the potential in the future to expand and link key visitor attractions throughout Las Vegas, such as Downtown Las Vegas, Las Vegas Strip, McCarran International Airport and beyond.

Other essential system components include:

• An elevator/escalator system for passenger access to each station
• Pedestrian entrances, exits, coverings from the elements and landscaping
• Tunnel lighting, power and video surveillance systems
• A fully equipped control room
• Cell phone, WiFi, intercom/PA, remote data and ventilation/life safety systems

Overall, the tourism industry continues to be crucial to Southern Nevada’s economy, generating $60 billion in total economic impact, supporting approximately 383,000 jobs and $16.4 billion in local wages and salaries. These jobs represent 39 percent of Southern Nevada’s total workforce. The LVCC expansion and renovation is projected to add more than $800 million in potential economic impact to the destination annually. Meetings and conventions generate $10.5 billion annually in economic impact within Southern Nevada and attract 6.5 million visitors annually. In 2018, Las Vegas had more than 42 million visitors. The Las Vegas Convention Center hosts more than 1.3 million attendees annually.

Source: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

RELATED: Las Vegas Approves $48M People Mover Contract with The Boring Company