Chicago Airport wants a high-speed city link via Elon Musk's Loop

By Bloomberg News, June 22 2018
Chicago Airport wants a high-speed city link via Elon Musk's Loop

Chicago's O’Hare International Airport could be connected to the CBD by a high-speed link shuttling travellers between two new underground stations in just 12 minutes at speeds up to 240kph.

The US$1 billion system will mark the debut of 'Loop' technology created by Tesla founder Elon Musk – a scaled-down version of Musk's more ambitious Hyperloop ultra-high-speed transport system.

Built by Musk's Boring Company, the Chicago Loop transit system will use "autonomous electric skates," analogous to train carriages to carry eight to 16 passengers apiece.

The pods will be made by Tesla, although Musk leaves room for the possibility of cars using the system, too.

The system will run underground, giving Musk’s venture a chance to show off its tunnel-boring technology. The company has said it’s faster and cheaper than other subterranean projects. “Tunnel construction and operation will be silent, invisible and imperceptible at the surface,” the company said.

Musk hasn’t given up on his original vision for an ultra-high-speed transport system. At a news conference with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday, Musk said the Loop "will ultimately transition to the Hyperloop system."

That technology would be designed for longer distances, like, say, Chicago to New York. “That’s where you’d want to make use of the Hyperloop,” Musk said.

While Musk won the bid to build a high-speed express train between Chicago's airport and downtown, it’s not quite a signed contract yet – but if the parties proceed, it will give Musk a chance to prove parts of his untested technology.

A success in Chicago would give Boring Co. considerable credibility as it tries to move ahead on other projects, including service within Los Angeles and a planned system between Washington, D.C., and New York City. Chicago is bearing no financial responsibility for the project, Emanuel said. Boring Co. will finance the entire construction cost itself.

Funding the effort didn’t appear to be a concern for Musk. “I don’t really have much trouble raising money, historically,” he said. “So I don’t expect too much trouble doing so in this situation.”

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

28 Jul 2011

Total posts 60

Think we can get him to do this in Melbourne?

17 Sep 2015

Total posts 388

He seems to largely exist on taxpayer subsidies.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

13 Jan 2017

Total posts 73

Downtown Chicago to O'Hare is 29km.


Downtown Melbourne to Tulla is only 23.

If only we could get him to build one here. One can only dream.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

07 Dec 2014

Total posts 174

1) Seeing is believing - this is a completely untested design.

2) At 16 passengers a cabin, and a vehicle leaving every 30 seconds, my maths say it carries less than 2,000 people an hour. That's about the same as a single lane of motorway.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

13 Jan 2015

Total posts 584

Yea 8-16 people doesn't sound bit enough. Needs to be able to hold 50 people and leave every 30 seconds to at least make it 6000 an hour

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

26 Oct 2017

Total posts 91

Melbourne can't get a bicycle lane let alone a rail service. As for Hyper Loop? I have to keep dreaming.


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