Last month, the Los Angeles City Council granted an environmental review exemption for a 2.7-mile tunnel through West LA, for the building and testing of the transportation system. The tunnel, which could be more than 60 feet under the ground, has no stations on its route and was given the exemption due to its short distance.
Musk said that work on a tunnel linking New York City and Washington DC had begun and that he expects the work on another tunnel between Los Angeles and San Francisco to start next year.
Despite Musk’s optimism, skeptics remain doubtful over the viability of the project. They believe the project at full scale will come under heavy inspection that could put it off schedule by several years. The political and environmental review processes are likely to take long.
Secondly, underground tunneling and construction tend to face many risks like major utility lines, old oil wells and earthquake faults. These come with their own set of dangers such as the risk of explosions. There are also issues with permits and permissions from property owners. All these could add up against the project, which may face more difficulties, as it is being undertaken by a private company as opposed to public agencies that are backed by the law.
Musk seems to have a supporter in Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, who recently stated that the Hyperloop would be ready for passengers in three years, ie. by 2021. Skeptics don’t buy this theory either.