Elon Musk is back in the news on one of his favorite places: Twitter.
The billionaire entrepreneur tweeted out an announcement Sunday, saying his Boring Company will open its prototype “Loop” transport tunnel beneath Hawthorne on Monday, Dec. 10.
The tunnel stretches just two miles, and resembles a normal subway tunnel. Instead of large subway cars, it transports single cars or bus-like transit vehicles on individual platforms called skates. The Los Angeles Times first reported news of the tweet.
Musk said there will be an “opening event” the night of Dec. 10, and free rides for the public the following day. The Boring Company has been building the tunnel since August 2017, when Hawthorne gave it the go-ahead. Musk wants to expand the system across Los Angeles and has billed it as a way to clear L.A.’s notorious traffic congestion.
The city of Los Angeles has so far been cooperating. The city fast-tracked approvals for a tunnel in the Westside in April. In August, the Boring Company unveiled plans to build a Loop trunnel connecting Dodger Stadium and a Metro Red Line station. Mayor Eric Garcetti called the proposal “innovative” and expressed support.
Only time will tell if the Boring Company can actually hit Musk’s deadline. The term “Elon time” is a popular qualifier used to describe Musk’s optimistic timelines. Musk, co-founder of Tesla, has missed several production deadlines for the car company. Last month, he reached a deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which had sued him for tweeting that he had “funding secured” for a buyout of the car company at $420 a share. Musk agreed to pay a $20 million fine and step aside as company chairman for three years.
Speaking to Tesla shareholders over the summer, Musk said, “I kind of say when I think [production goals] can occur, but then I’m typically optimistic about these things.”
When asked if the loop tunnel deadline was real time or “Elon time,” Musk tweeted back, “I think real.” [LAT] — Dennis Lynch