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Elon Musk's The Boring Company advances major project with new land purchase: 'Will define the future of transportation'

"We're exploring possibilities we couldn't achieve on our own as a state."

"We're exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own as a state."

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Elon Musk's The Boring Company has made an important move toward building its next loop transit project in Nashville, Tennessee, with a significant land purchase in the city. 

According to Teslarati, the company purchased its first chunk of land for its Music City Loop project, just under 1 acre of land previously owned by Iglesia Mana de Cielo Church.

The site, located less than half a mile from Nashville International Airport, has led to speculation that it will be the staging ground for the start of the loop construction process. 

Musk and Boring's loop concept is an interesting and controversial approach to mass transit. At its essence, it is an underground highway in which traffic travels in one direction, allowing for high-speed travel between destinations. Musk's loop systems, led by one in Las Vegas, are being set up exclusively for a fleet of Tesla vehicles operating as a taxi service, complete with drivers. In other words, a loop of this type is envisioned as a relatively high-speed, zero-pollution transit system that can allow for quick local trips along a specified route. 


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However, the concept isn't without controversy. Musk's ultimate goal is to create a pressurized tube transit system that is self-sustaining and contains pods that float through their tubes without touching the sides or any road or track. However, as Vaclav Smil of Massachusetts Institute of Technology explained, a number of logistical hurdles still exist before such a system could ever be implemented. 

On top of that, Musk's singular completed loop in Las Vegas has been a lightning rod of controversy. ProPublica detailed that the Vegas loop was being built with little oversight and had numerous violations of state and federal regulations, drawing criticism from skeptics. It currently ferries fewer passengers than many public transit systems. 

Ultimately, though, Tennessee is optimistic about the project, which, when completed, will run 9.5 miles one way from the airport to downtown Nashville, according to Nashville Scene.

"By leveraging the innovation of private companies like The Boring Company, we're exploring possibilities we couldn't achieve on our own as a state. This potential partnership represents the kind of forward-thinking, fiscally responsible approach that will define the future of transportation in Tennessee," Gov. Bill Lee said about the project, per Teslarati.

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