Chicago & Midwest | December 20, 2018

Chicago Pols Give Mixed Reviews to Musk’s Tunnel Test

With Elon Musk’s Boring Company selected by the Emanuel administration earlier this year to build an underground high-speed transit system between downtown and O’Hare Airport, Chicago politicians were on hand for a preview in Los Angeles. Reviews were mixed.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas told the Chicago Tribune that the ride was “a little bumpy” since Musk and his team hadn’t yet smoothed out the surface of the test tunnel. At 34 mph, the ride was also considerably slower than the 150-mph speed touted by Musk.

Deputy Mayor Robert Rivkin, who was one of the dozen Chicago pols on Tuesday’s tour, told Crain’s Chicago Business, “I came away believing he can do it. The question is whether he can do it profitably. I don’t think anyone knows the answer, including him.”

The bigger question, Rivkin said, is “whether you can tunnel cheaper and faster than previously has been done.”

Get Chicago News in 150 Words

For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny

Connect

Inside The Story

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

Order Reprints