If you’ve ever taken Amtrak from New York to D.C. or vice versa, you know the three-hour ride can be brutal. Elon Musk is trying to change all that, with an underground Hyperloop that would cut the ride down to 29 minutes. In addition to shooting Teslas into space, Musk and his Boring Company has been advancing their plans for the project, for which they just received a preliminary permit.
According to the Washington Post, the excavation site is located at 53 New York Avenue NE—next to a McDonald’s and not far from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. While no formal government approval has been announced, Musk seemed confident about getting it, when he tweeted about the project back in July 2017.
Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins.
Keep in mind, this permit is only one small step needed to build the tunnel, which would go from New York to Philadelphia to Baltimore to D.C. But what may be one small step for Musk, could end up being a huge one for mankind. Musk recently received a conditional permit to start operations in Maryland as well.
According to TechCrunch, Hyperloop stations would be smaller, more discrete versions of stations like New York City’s Penn or D.C.’s Union. A main line would travel to the four main cities, and smaller lines would branch out from these central stations to take travelers to other potential destinations.
