Elon Musk’s Tesla Tunnels in Las Vegas are Being Trespassed by Rats |

Published on: October 8, 2024, 01:45h.

Last updated on: October 8, 2024, 01:51h.

Elon Musk’s subterranean transportation system in Las Vegas is attracting unauthorized individuals who have to be escorted out.

Its official name is he Vegas Loop, but locals and tourists alike prefer the derisive nickname “Tesla Tunnels.” That’s because Musk’s original promise — of automated trams zipping through his pneumatic tubes on rails at 155 mph — has given way to the reality of regular Teslas driven by humans at a top speed of 40 mph. (Image: X/Twitter/@ClarkCountyNV

According to a recent Fortune.com report, a total of 67 trespassers have breached the Vegas Loop’s tunnels since their opening in 2022. Most entered on foot, with one individual skateboarding through a tunnel, leading to a system shutdown.

The tunnels are expected to eventually connect most of the Strip to downtown and the airport, but currently only three tunnels covering a 1.7-mile loop under the Las Vegas Convention Center are operational, along with a connection to Resorts World that opened in July 2022.

The trespassers entered the Tesla Tunnels through one of the three stations beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center or the station at Resorts World. (Image: The Boring Co.)

More Unauthorized Entries

The reported 67 trespassers do not include 22 vehicles that accessed the system since last year, taking advantage of security gate openings at surface stations intended for authorized Teslas.

Monthly reports from the Boring Co., responsible for tunnel construction, did not specify if trespassers attempted to avoid capture. However, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) stated that all unauthorized vehicles entered inadvertently, mistaking the tunnel entrance for a parking structure or ride-share location.

All unauthorized drivers were stopped by security except for one who managed to enter a tunnel.

The LVCVA spokesperson assured that efforts are ongoing to prevent inadvertent intrusions in collaboration with TBC.

Some of the incidents occurred at above-ground stations, with no injuries resulting from any trespassing.

Fortune.com obtained this information through a Freedom of Information Act request to the LVCVA.

Revised Plans?

When TBC secured a $48.7 million contract with the LVCVA in 2019, promise was made to develop an express public transportation system with self-driving shuttles reaching speeds of up to 155 mph. However, the actual system in operation consists of regular Teslas driven by humans at a maximum speed of 40 mph, leading to the mocking nickname “Tesla Tunnels.”

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