Traffic jams waste hours of people’s lives in big cities around the world. Elon Musk has said he started The Boring Company in 2016 after being stuck in traffic in Los Angeles. His idea was to go underneath: if roads can be stacked in layers of tunnels, cars would not have to fight for space.
This guide explains what the company has built, how it works, and what is still unproven.
The idea and the machines
Digging tunnels is slow and expensive, often costing hundreds of millions of dollars for every mile. The Boring Company says it can cut that cost by making tunnels narrower, using smaller boring machines and running the machines more continuously. Its tunnelling machine, called Prufrock, can dig, support the walls and move on as a single system.
The company opened a short test tunnel near SpaceX’s Hawthorne headquarters in California in 2018, then looked for paying customers.
Boring Company timeline at a glance
- 2016: Elon Musk announces the company.
- December 2018: A test tunnel opens in Hawthorne, California.
- 2021: The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop opens.
- 2025: More than 10 miles of Vegas tunnel is dug, and the Nashville project is announced in July.
- February 2026: Tunnelling begins in Nashville.
- March 2026: Nashville’s council votes to oppose the project.
The Las Vegas Loop
The first real system opened in 2021 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Passengers ride in Tesla cars driven by people through a 2.1-mile tunnel with a few stations, which cuts a long walk across the huge convention site to a couple of minutes. The company says it has carried more than 3 million passengers.
The larger Vegas Loop has since grown to connect casinos and hotels. In late 2025 the company said more than 10 miles of tunnel had been dug, with about 4 miles in service, and airport rides were planned for 2026. The original 2019 plan calls for 68 miles and about 100 stations, so most of it is still to come.
Nashville’s Music City Loop
In July 2025 Tennessee’s governor announced the Music City Loop, a privately funded tunnel between downtown Nashville and the airport. Reports say tunnelling began in early 2026 after state and federal approvals, with the first section aimed at late 2026 or early 2027. The planned length has been reported as between 10 and 13 miles.
It has faced local resistance. In March 2026 Nashville’s Metro Council voted to oppose the project, citing concerns about transparency and safety, although the vote did not itself stop construction. Dubai is also named as a possible future market.
The criticism
Experts say the main weakness is capacity. A tunnel with cars can move far fewer people per hour than a metro train. The Vegas system has also been limited by speed rules and by the number of cars.
Supporters answer that Loop tunnels are much cheaper and quicker to build than subways, and that autonomous electric vehicles could raise capacity in future. The company has talked about using larger autonomous vans after 2028. As of April 2026, reports said only a small part of the original Vegas plan had been completed.
How a Loop ride works
A passenger walks down to an underground station, gets into a Tesla and travels through the tunnel to another station. Reports say the Vegas system runs at a limited speed of about 35 miles an hour, so a trip is steady rather than fast.
The company claims it can build a 13-mile twin tunnel in Nashville for between 240 and 300 million US dollars, far less than a typical subway. Whether the final cost and the number of passengers match those claims is exactly what independent observers will be watching.
What to watch
The key tests are simple: whether Nashville opens on time, whether Vegas expands towards its target, and whether real costs match the promises.
If the tunnels prove cheap, safe and busy, other cities may copy them. If not, they may remain a useful attraction rather than a replacement for public transport.
Key takeaways
- The Boring Company was founded in 2016 to cut traffic by building cheaper tunnels.
- The Las Vegas Convention Center Loop opened in 2021 and has carried millions of passengers.
- About 4 miles of the wider Vegas Loop was in service in late 2025, against a 68-mile plan.
- The Nashville Music City Loop began tunnelling in 2026 despite local opposition.
- Capacity and cost claims are the biggest open questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Loop a subway?
Not exactly. It uses cars or vans in narrow tunnels, which carry fewer people than a train, but it is cheaper to dig.
Can I ride the Las Vegas Loop?
Yes. The Convention Center Loop is open to visitors, and other stations have opened on the wider Vegas Loop. Check the company’s website for routes and fares.
Does Nigeria have a Boring Company project?
No. There is no announced Boring Company project in Nigeria at the time of writing.
Keep reading
From a two-seat electric sports car to self-driving taxis and factories full of robots: the full Tesla story in plain language.
One simple map of Elon Musk’s businesses, from his first company to the 2026 SpaceX merger.
How SpaceX learned to land rockets, carry astronauts and build Starship, the biggest rocket ever flown.
About this guide. Written by the Blessed Records Exclusive Entertainment editorial team from company announcements, regulator figures and news reports, with facts checked up to 2 November 2026. Technology news moves fast, so some details may change. If you spot a mistake, please contact us. This guide is for information only and is not financial or investment advice.