You can now try out Elon Musk’s Vegas Loop at Resorts World during convention days
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Teslas are taking on a new tunnel: the long-awaited Vegas Loop station at Resorts World is now open, and it marks the first of 55 planned stations to expand beneath the Strip, downtown, and beyond.
“To be the first one means a lot,” said Scott Sibella, President of Resorts World.
The unveiling of the latest passenger station also marks the first time the general public can test the system out for themselves, but only while a convention is going on.
“When there’s not a convention we’ll close the station. But who knows, down the road, eventually people can take it maybe seven days a week, but for the time being it’s when a convention’s here,” said Sibella.
Riders can experience the joyride for $1.50, or buy a day pass for $2.50. Riders can also pay their Vegas Loop fares with Dogecoin, a form of cryptocurrency.
“It’s the only place in the world you can come to try this,” added Steve Hill, CEO and President of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “It’ll be an attraction in and of itself for a while.”
The general public can take it in a circle, back to where they boarded, for now. Only conventiongoers can actually get out at the Convention Center.
The underground transit system lined with Teslas Models X ad Y aims to revolutionize transit and solve traffic congestion.
But what happens if there’s a fire in the tunnel, or even a flash flood? It’s a question we posed to Hill.
“You can use stations for emergency exits, but there are also exits in the system where you can just open a door and walk out, so there’ll be stairwells,” said Hill.
He said the Boring Company has had to overcome numerous hurdles to prove the safety of their design in order to get their operating permit.
“[For an] operating permit, you have to answer every single question, and then show them that you have the ability to respond to every potential problem that’s out there,” said Hill.
Sibella called the system “flawless” and said he has no concerns with safety.
“They’ve been doing it for a year before we opened our station over at the Convention Center, so, they know what they’re doing, and we’re off to a great start,” said Sibella.
Hill said new stations should be debuted soon, possibly in a matter of months.
“We have several permits in for the next stages in the system. We think they’ll be issued, and we’re going to be allowed to start construction pretty soon,” said Hill. “And then if that’s the case, then we should see additional stations in additional parts of the system open up.”
Hill said permits have been secured for the Westgate and Encore stops, and added that he thinks Allegiant Stadium’s permit should soon be approved, if it’s not already.
A map of the planned stations that span the Strip, DTLV, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the stadium and the airport can be viewed here.
FOX5 will continue following this developing story.
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