Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 18 June 2018

Musk company to build Chicago-to-O'Hare express transport

By SARA BURNETT portation Authority's Blue
CHICAGO (AP) — Entre- Line train. The alternative —
preneur Elon Musk said by road — can take more
Thursday a high-speed than twice as long.
transportation system that The company plans to col-
will whisk people between lect ticket and advertis-
downtown Chicago and ing revenue, and Deputy
O'Hare International Airport Mayor Robert Rivkin said
at speeds of up to 150 mph the estimated fare will be
could be operational in $20 to $25 per ride, which is
about three years. significantly less than a taxi
Musk joined Chicago ride to or from the airport. A
Mayor Rahm Emanuel to Blue Line ticket from O'Hare
formally announce that a costs $5.
Musk-owned enterprise, Making the long-discussed
The Boring Company, was express route a reality —
selected for the project and at no cost to taxpay-
and will fully fund it. They say ers — would be a major ac-
electric vehicles will carry complishment for Emanuel,
passengers through under- who's seeking his third term
ground tunnels in about 12 This undated artist's rendering provided by The Boring Company, shows part of a proposed high- next year. The project's
speed underground transportation system that will transport passengers from downtown Chicago
minutes each way. to O'Hare International Airport. timeline will allow him to
Emanuel called the new Associated Press campaign on the initiative,
transit system "the fast lane with its success or failure
to Chicago's future," and cago River or build the first Musk, who's CEO of electric years, but said it should be unknown until well past the
said it will create jobs and skyscraper — other seem- car maker Tesla and aero- no more than three years. election.
make the city more com- ingly impossible tasks the space company SpaceX, "This is a difficult thing that Some critics already have
petitive. city now boasts of having noted he's successfully we're doing, it's a hard emerged. Alderman Scott
He scoffed at critics who accomplished. completed other "pretty thing, it's a new thing," Musk Waguespack, a member of
question the still-unproven "Chicago is always look- tricky" projects . said. "I'd hope that you'd the City Council's progres-
technology or the city's ing at what's possible and He said he expects the cheer us on for this, be- sive caucus, said Emanuel
ability to achieve what's then making it achievable," company will begin dig- cause if we succeed it's go- was again putting the inter-
been a goal at City Hall for Emanuel said. "There are ging the dual tunnels after ing to be a great thing for ests of billionaires and big
more than a decade. He doubters along the way it's received all the neces- the city, and if we fail, well corporations ahead of the
noted there were doubt- all the time who sit on the sary regulatory approvals, I guess me and others will needs of neighborhoods
ers when the city set out to sideline and then when the a process he expects to lose a bunch of money." and taxpayers. He said
reverse the flow of the Chi- thing gets built and oppor- take a few months. Once Thursday's news confer- the caucus is demanding
tunities come and the job construction begins he'd ence was held in the moth- hearings on the "potential
growth happens you can't like to see the system oper- balled shell of an under- boondoggle."
find them." ational in 18 months to two ground station that the city In May, Musk said a tunnel
constructed years ago. The built under a Los Angeles
site, in a downtown devel- suburb to test a transpor-
opment known as Block 37, tation system was almost
will serve as the downtown complete and that the
station for the new express public would be offered
service. The Boring Compa- free rides in a few months.
ny will create a new station Musk also touted a possible
at O'Hare. high-speed tunnel project
Vehicles will depart the connecting Washington,
airport and downtown as D.C., and New York last
often as every 30 seconds, summer. Musk's flagship
and each vehicle will ac- electric car company Tes-
commodate up to 16 pas- la Inc. struggled last year
sengers and their luggage. to turn an annual profit for
The 12-minute ride — which the first time in its 15 years
Emanuel equated to "three of doing business. Musk
songs on your iPod" — com- announced Tuesday that
pares to the roughly 40 Tesla would be laying off
minutes it currently takes to about 3,600 workers mainly
make it from O'Hare to the from its salaried ranks as it
city via the Chicago Trans- slashes costs.q