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https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2...ect/700724002/
Jun 14, 2018

Elon Musk's Boring Co. asked to build Chicago high-speed transit between O'Hare and downtown



CHICAGO – Elon Musk's Boring Company has been tapped to build a futuristic transportation system using high-powered electric “skates” to carry passengers between O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday that his administration is entering one-on-one negotiations with the Musk company to build the high-speed system that will utilize electric vehicles running through twin underground tunnels.

If Emanuel and Musk, who is also the CEO of electric-car company Tesla, are able to reach a final deal, it would then need approval from Chicago’s city council.

The proposed system would transport passengers between O’Hare, one of the nation’s busiest airports, and downtown in 12 minutes, according to the Boring Company's proposal. Currently, it takes passengers riding the city’s train system about 45 to 50 minutes to make the roughly 16-mile trip between downtown and O’Hare. Taking a taxi or ride-share can take even longer.

The mayor hopes to start construction on the project within a year and complete the project within four years.

"It will take longer to get through security at O’Hare than it will take to get to O'Hare," Emanuel predicted. "This is the fast lane to Chicago’s future."

Boring Company says it will pay the entire cost of building the system.

The company indicated in its proposal to the city that fares on its transportation system of the future – although not yet set – would cost more than the current $5 fare between O’Hare and downtown but less than the cost of a cab ride, which typically costs about $40.

The deal puts Musk a step closer to making his Boring Company's vision a reality. Mass transit advocates have expressed skepticism about the viability of a vast network of underground tunnels due to high costs and bureaucratic hurdles. But Musk’s tentative deal with Chicago suggests that his company may be making progress in its goal to reduce the price of tunnel digging while increasing the speed of the notoriously slow process.

“I think if you look at someone’s track record or a company’s track record…it’s reasonable to extrapolate into what it would do in the future,” Musk said about criticism of the effort. “I’ve done a few things in my background that I think are pretty tricky.”

Musk added: "If it succeeds it will be a great thing for the city. If it fails, me and others will lose a whole bunch of money."

The Boring Co. in April said it raised $113 million, mostly from Musk himself.

This foray into building tunnels for high-speed transportation is relatively new. The Boring Company was launched about 18 months ago and has been digging a test tunnel in Los Angeles for a high-speed public transit system called the Loop.

The concept behind the Loop has changed over the months. Most recently, Musk said that it no longer would provide the skates for cars to race beneath the surface but instead will focus on transporting pedestrians and cyclists.

In an animation released by the Boring Company in March, pedestrians are shown on the street surface boarding buses and being lowered into the tunnel by an elevator system.

Musk has also received approval from Maryland to dig tunnels for a Loop system that would provide a transportation alternative to commuters in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, but work has not yet started on that project.

Boring Company kreeg het project toegewezen en werd verkozen boven deze:

https://mmm-freight.com/news/elon-mu...express-train/
April 24, 2018

Four groups—including Elon Musk’s futuristic Boring Company—have answered City Hall’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking private companies to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain Chicago’s long-discussed high-speed O’Hare express train.

The ambitious project aims to slash travel times between downtown and O’Hare International Airport to 20 minutes (roughly in half) at a price point that will undercut taxis or ride share services like Uber and Lyft. The call for prospective partners went out in November and was due on January 24.

According to a joint statement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Infrastructure Trust, the following firms or joint ventures have officially thrown their hats in the ring:

O’Hare Express Train Partners (OHL Infrastructure, Kiewit, Amtrak)

O’Hare Xpress LLC (Meridiam, Antarctica Capital, JLC Infrastructure, Mott MacDonald and First Transit)

Oaktree Capital Management

The Boring Company

Uiteraard was dat groot nieuws ...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ine-OHare.html

Elon Musk's Boring Company wins its bid to build tunnels that will allow 150mph 'electric skates' to transport people between downtown Chicago and O'Hare Airport

Each electric vehicle in the proposed tunnel system will carry eight to 16 people and travel at 125 to 150 mph

The Boring Company said it will fund the project and plans to collect ticket and advertising revenue

No information has been released about estimated construction costs or when construction might begin

De tijdwinst geillustreerd door populairmechanics:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/tec...chicago-ohare/

The current drive, on a Thursday morning, from Block 37 to O’Hare. The red represents what Google Maps has identified has heavy traffic. The Boring Company says it can cut this time by over 50 percent.