The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s tunneling firm, has been selected to design and build an underground transit system connecting Universal Orlando’s theme parks.
The Shingle Creek Transit and Utility Community Development District Board voted Wednesday to begin contract negotiations with The Boring Company following a monthslong competition. The board evaluated three bidders: V2R, The Boring Company, and Sunshine Connection Partners, ultimately giving The Boring Company the highest score.
“Board members determined that The Boring Company’s proposal best addressed the District’s request for an innovative, future-ready, point-to-point solution,” the district said in a statement announcing the decision. “The District will now continue collaborating with local stakeholders while exploring the operational and financial feasibility of the preferred proposal.”
Connecting Epic Universe to CityWalk
The transit system would connect Epic Universe, Universal’s newest theme park, to CityWalk and the original Universal Orlando properties. The goal is to reduce I-4 traffic congestion and allow guests to move between parks more efficiently.
Brian Gettinger, an executive for transit company Glydways (which partnered with Sunshine Connection Partners on a competing bid), confirmed that the project focuses primarily on connecting Epic Universe to CityWalk. “They wanted a more premium passenger experience,” Gettinger noted, adding, “Obviously you spend a lot of money at Universal. You want to maximize the time in the park, maximize the experience.”
What Is The Boring Company?
The Boring Company is best known for building the Vegas Loop in Las Vegas, Nevada, an underground transportation network that has transported more than 3 million passengers through its stations. The system uses Tesla vehicles to shuttle passengers through a network of tunnels, with transit times between 2 and 8 minutes.
Clark County and the City of Las Vegas have approved 68 miles of tunnel and 104 stations for the Vegas Loop, making it one of the largest urban tunnel projects in the United States.
Challenges Ahead
Florida’s shallow water table presents unique construction challenges for underground tunneling, though specific plans for how The Boring Company intends to address this have not yet been released. The Orlando Sentinel noted that a system of tunnels linking Universal’s properties “could be as iconic in the 21st century as Disney World’s monorails were in the 20th century.”
The district’s official announcement made no specific mention of tunnels, and construction speed was reportedly a key factor in the selection process. “Tunnels typically are very slow to build. Boring Company talks about building them very quickly,” said Brian Guttier of Glydways.
Specific construction timelines, costs, and operational details have not been announced. The district said it will continue exploring the “operational and financial feasibility” of the proposal.
Sources: Orlando Sentinel, Click Orlando, WESH 2, Orlando Business Journal
So…. An underground road, but only for Teslas. That’s not transit, btw, but at least it’s good to know it’ll never actually be built.