Administrators at Texas A&M University are considering a potential Boring Company loop to help with foot traffic on campus, coming as the latest community to mull over the Elon Musk-led tunneling solution.
The Boring Company’s proposal for the “Aggie Loop” is being considered by administrators at Texas A&M, as reported by the campus newspaper The Battalion last week. Like the company’s other loops, it would feature underground tunnels leading to multiple stations spread across the Texas A&M campus, which would be built strategically at high-traffic locations and bus stops.
“The Boring Company proposal provides a mobility solution that improves campus-wide connectivity, reduces road congestion, allows for future expansion as the need arises and the vehicles in the tunnel are zero emission electric,” said Peter Lange, Texas A&M’s Chief Operating Officer.
And that's a wrap! Boring Company's 15th tunnel. pic.twitter.com/PbSt3YXyEv
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) September 11, 2024
In the last ten years alone, the university’s student population has jumped by around 18,000 students, highlighting the need for improvements to campus pedestrian transportation options.
“There currently simply isn’t a way to transition the number of students we serve safely and effectively in the limited time frame between classes,” Lange added. “The Boring Co.’s unique vertically integrated tunneling process offers a potential solution by connecting the front of campus and West Campus with a loop tunnel. The tunnel route is based on the two most heavily used on campus bus routes which are routes one and three.”
The tunnels would feature Tesla vehicles, which would drive passengers from one station to the next in a more timely fashion than what pedestrians are able to do on foot.
Lange says tunnels for the loop would be built roughly 30 feet beneath the ground, using stations that are built both above ground and below ground. The Aggie Loop is expected to connect the northern Polo Road area of campus to the Memorial Student Center, Reed Arena, and White Creek Apartment, with transit taking about two to three minutes.
The Boring Company currently has active stations in Las Vegas, Nevada, though the company is also building out a tunnel system at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. The company’s efforts in Las Vegas started with the smaller, pilot loop, dubbed the “Las Vegas Convention Center Loop,” though it’s slowly expanding throughout the city, eventually expected to include a total of 81 stops.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.