The American business magnate Elon Musk on Thursday claimed that a high-speed transportation system will move people between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport at speeds of up to 150 mph could be operational in about three years. The basic aim of the project is to reduce travel time to less than minutes.
Elon Musk joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and officially announced that The Boring Company, a Musk-owned firm has been chosen for the project and will fund it completely. According to the statement, the electric vehicles will carry passengers through underground tunnels in about 12 minutes each way. The new project was being called as the “the fast lane to Chicago’s future” and also claimed that it will create employment and bring in competition in the city.
In this regard, Emanuel said that Chicago is always looking at what’s possible and then making it achievable. “There are doubters along the way all the time who sit on the sideline and then when the thing gets built and opportunities come and the job growth happens you can’t find them,” he said.
The company is expected to start its process of digging the dual tunnels after receiving all the important and required agreements and this may take a few months. Once construction begins, Musk expects to see the system functional in 18 months to two years, but definitely should not be more than three years.
“This is a different thing that we’re doing, it’s a hard thing, it’s a new thing,” Musk said. “I’d hope that you’d cheer us on, because if we succeed it’s going to be a great thing for the city, and if we fail, well I guess me and others will lose a bunch of money,” he added.
The Boring Company will build a new station at O’Hare. Vehicles will depart the airport and downtown every 30 seconds approximately, and all the vehicles will accommodate up to 16 passengers and their luggage.
Alderman Scott Waguespack, a member of the City Council’s progressive caucus, said Emanuel was again putting the interests of billionaires and big corporations ahead of the needs of neighborhoods and taxpayers. He said the caucus is demanding hearings on the “potential boondoggle”. The company’s plan has been criticized by many critics but The Boring Company has won the competition to build the high-speed express transport and is all set to go ahead with its plans and achieve its objectives.