Dive Brief:
- Elon Musk's Boring Company has proposed a 3.6-mile hyperloop connecting downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium through an underground tunnel. The company estimates the “Dugout Loop” could move 1,400 people to a game or event at the stadium, with a total capacity of 250,000 people a year.
- Musk promises the all-electric, high-speed system can be built entirely on private property and would require "zero taxpayer dollars." The city entrance would be built near one of three stops on the the L.A. Metro's Red Line, and Boring will get Metro's approval before construction.
- Trips would take less than four minutes and would cost about a dollar.
Dive Insight:
Pending approval from the city, the "Dugout Loop" would supplant a 2.7-mile test tunnel under Sepulveda Boulevard as the Boring Company's first Los Angeles tunnel. The company has also promised a loop taking passengers from downtown to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in just eight minutes, and has gotten preliminary approval from Chicago for a line between downtown and O’Hare International Airport. Still, the company has not broken ground on any of the projects and the LA test has been challenged by residents upset that it has skirted some environmental reviews.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Twitter it is "always exciting to see innovative ideas like the proposed Dugout Loop to Dodgers Stadium that could help ease congestion on our roads and make our most iconic destinations more accessible to everyone." The project could be a boon to the traffic-choked city, especially with limited non-driving options to get to Dodger Stadium. The all-electric hyperloop also promises to help with the city's notorious air quality problems, and is not the first suggestion after a gondola was proposed earlier this year.
Still, as Curbed LA points out, the passenger numbers are relatively tiny — just 2% of the stadium capacity — and far smaller than what a dedicated bus lane could move in one day. There has been talk of an aerial tram that would also shuttle passengers to and from the stadium, although with less transit connectivity; clearly multiple options are necessary to reduce congestion and ease travel to the stadium. The city's long-range transportation plan that would boost transit is a start; smart involvement from private companies can help supplement travel options.
