Breakthrough
Elon Musk's oddball underground tunneling venture, the Boring Company, just completed a major milestone.
Musk posted a video on Twitter showing the gigantic tunneling machine breaking through the final wall connecting it to O'Leary Station, the Boring Company's first outpost that connects the underground tunnel to the surface near its headquarters in Hawthorne, Los Angeles.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 17, 2018
The tunnel is a respectable 3.2 km (2 miles) in length, 30 feet (9 m) in diameter, and 15 feet under the surface. It has been in the works for almost two years under the Boring Company's headquarters.
Skating Home
The tunnel is a proof-of-concept that's meant to connect the company's offices to a local suburb to show off a brand new form of transport: once completed, the company is hoping to shoot cars or just passengers along at 250 km/h (155 mph) on "skates."
Musk announced last month that his company is planning to open the tunnel to the public in December – a tight timeline considering the tunnel was only just completed.
Racing a Snail
The Boring Company is hoping to speed things up next time round, according to its official website. By digging tunnels with smaller diameters of 14 feet or less, company could conceivably dig much faster.
Unsurprisingly, the Musk-owned company is also planning to go electric, according to the site — future version of the Boring Machine will run on motors, not diesel engines and locomotives.
READ MORE: The Boring Company has completed digging its first tunnel [The Verge]
More on Elon's tunnels: Elon Musk: First Boring Company tunnel will open December 10
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