Who Tore Up the Tracks? · Episode 23 of 24 · 11 min
A Station in Every Driveway: The Vegas Loop
One American city actually bored the tunnels. The Boring Company's Vegas Loop was contracted around 4,400 passengers an hour and measured at about 1,350 in its fifth month, and has not been independently measured since. Nearly every number in circulation comes from the company or the agency that pays it, and the episode says so every time.
Who's who
- Rochelle NguyenNevada state senator who questioned tunnel safety at a February 2026 hearing
Where it happens
- Las Vegas Convention Center, NevadaOriginal 1.7-mile tunnel loop opened June 2021
- Clark County, NevadaApproved 18 more stations and 25 more miles in 2023
- Harry Reid International Airport, Las VegasDepartures-only service by tunnel leg plus surface drive from December 2025
Timeline
- May 2019Convention authority awards a $48.7 million design-build contract
- June 2021Convention center loop opens
- December 2024Two firefighters hospitalized with chemical burns during a rescue drill
- May 2025Nevada safety agency issues three willful citations totaling $425,595, rescinded the next day
- October 2025County water district fines the company nearly $500,000
- September 2026Company announces station count will double by year end
Still debated
No transit agency audits the system, so ridership comes from the company or its paying client. The fourteen-station count includes two airport curbs reached by surface driving, and typical ridership of about 2,200 a day differs from a 30,000 peak convention day.