TRAVEL

Elon Musk hits out at proposal for $20,000,000,000,000 tunnel that would get you from US to UK in 54 minutes

December 11th, 2024

Elon Musk's next big project could now be in the works, as he claims he could complete a proposed futuristic tunnel between the US and UK for far less money than initially proposed.

Fast travel is a dream for many, and a recent proposition of a futuristic train tunnel that would take passengers from New York to London in just 53 minutes has got people incredibly excited.

Tesla owner Elon Musk is no stranger to extraordinary ideas himself, having already theorized plans for rocket-powered flights that would take people across the world in 30 minutes, but this latest announcement could perhaps be his most ambitious yet.

In response to news of the proposed tunnel, Musk boldly claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that "the @boringcompany could do it for 1000X less money."

The Boring Company - which is 90% owned by Musk and had spun out of SpaceX to become its own entity - is known for its hyperloop tunnels that allow both Tesla vehicles and 600mph electric pods to pass through, so this would hypothetically be a perfect project for the company to take on.

Money remains the most pressing issue still, as even though 1,000 times less than $20 trillion is a big reduction, it would still work out the construction cost to be $20 billion.

Currently the market cap for The Boring Company sits at around $7 billion, and while Musk has previously claimed that it will reach $1 trillion by 2030, it's still a long way off right now.

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If Elon himself believes in the project then he could easily get it done - if his cost estimation is correct. He's currently the richest man in the world with a net worth of around $384 billion, so the tunnel would end up costing around 5% of his total, or less than the amount that Twitter has dropped in value since his takeover.

Whether this is just another one of Musk's outlandish dreams is up to you to decide, but he certainly has the backing of many on social media that are desperate for the project to be completed.

"So do it Elon," pleads one user, "Show them what things look like when the 5 have a real competitor."

Another commenter rather excitedly begs: "PLEASE BRO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE," so you'd have to imagine that there's more than an appetite for the project from some.

Some remain more skeptical though, with one positing: "No it most definitely cannot LOL the boring company took a decade to bore a half mile tunnel."

There's no doubt that a project like this would take a lot of time - and a lot of money too - but you can't blame people for being hopeful of a future where intercontinental travel could be completed in the click of a finger.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

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