It looks like something out of a low-budget sci-fi flick. You descend an escalator in the middle of the desert, and suddenly, you're standing in a neon-lit cavern. A white Model Y pulls up silently. The door opens. You get in, and a few seconds later, you’re zipping through a tube that feels way too narrow for comfort.
This is the Vegas Loop.
Most people call it the "Tesla underground Las Vegas" thing. Some call it a stroke of genius, others call it a "glorified taxi line in a sewer." Honestly? It’s a bit of both. But as of January 2026, it’s no longer just a weird experiment at the back of a convention center. It’s becoming the actual circulatory system of the Las Vegas Strip.
The Neon Reality of the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop
Let’s start with the basics because there is a lot of noise out there. The project began with the LVCC Loop. This was the "proof of concept" that Elon Musk’s Boring Company sold to the city for about $47 million.
It’s simple. Three stations. 1.7 miles of tunnel.
Before this existed, if you were at the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and needed to get to the new West Hall, you were looking at a 25-minute hike. In the Vegas heat, that’s brutal. Now? You hop in a Tesla, and you’re there in two minutes.
It’s fast. It’s air-conditioned. And for convention-goers, it’s free.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The system has already moved over 3 million people. That's not a small number. While critics pointed at the "traffic jams" in the tunnels during the early CES shows, the data shows the system can move about 4,500 people per hour. That’s roughly the capacity of a small light rail line, but built for a fraction of the cost.
What the Expansion Looks Like in 2026
If you haven't been to Vegas in a year or two, the map has changed. The "Tesla underground Las Vegas" network is aggressively crawling under the pavement.
As of this month, we aren't just looking at the convention center anymore. The Boring Company has been punching through to the big resorts. Resorts World was the first to get its own dedicated station, followed by Westgate and Encore.
Here is the current "state of the union" for the tunnels:
- Operational Stations: LVCC (South, Central, West, Riviera), Resorts World, Westgate, and Encore.
- Airport Connectivity: This is the big one. Just last week, testing started for full airport pickups at Harry Reid International (LAS). Before, you could only get dropped off. Now, 100 vehicles in the fleet have the transponders needed to handle the airport-to-Strip flow.
- The "Paradise" Connection: A new 2.2-mile tunnel linking Westgate to a station on Paradise Road is expected to open within a couple of months. This effectively bypasses the nightmare traffic at the Tropicana intersection.
The ultimate goal? A 68-mile network with 104 stations.
They want to connect everything from Downtown Las Vegas all the way down to Allegiant Stadium. Imagine leaving a Raiders game and not having to fight 60,000 people for a $100 Uber. Instead, you walk into a hole in the ground and a Tesla whisks you to your hotel for about five bucks.
Why It’s Not a "Subway" (And Why That Matters)
People love to compare this to the New York Subway or the London Underground. That’s a mistake. It’s not a train.
A subway is a "stop-and-start" system. If you want to go from Station A to Station D, you have to stop at B and C. You wait for people to get on. You wait for the doors to chime. It’s slow.
The Vegas Loop is a "point-to-point" system. When you get into that Model 3, you tell the driver where you’re going, and they go directly there. They don't stop at the other stations. Because the stations are built in "loops" off the main tunnel, the car just zips past the other stops.
This is why the travel times are so low. We’re talking 2 to 8 minutes to get almost anywhere on the Strip.
The "Driver" Problem: When Does It Go Autonomous?
The biggest criticism—and it's a fair one—is the drivers.
Elon Musk promised autonomous sleds. He promised 150 mph speeds. Right now, you have a human being named Kevin or Sarah driving you at 35 mph. It feels... manual.
So, what’s the hold-up?
Safety regulations and software. The Boring Company has finally started testing "Zero-person-in-tunnel" operations in 2025, but Clark County is strict. They want to see 100% reliability before they let a computer take the wheel with passengers inside.
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However, the speed limits are creeping up. In the newer segments of the tunnel, the limit is being raised to 60 mph. It’s not the "Hyperloop" speed people dreamed of, but in a 12-foot wide tube, 60 mph feels like you're entering warp drive.
Real Talk: Is it Practical or Just a Toy?
I've spent a lot of time looking at the "anti-Loop" arguments.
Critics like to say it’s inefficient because a Tesla only holds 4 people, while a train holds 400. That is true for pure volume. But Vegas isn't a commuter city like Tokyo. It’s a city of surges.
The Boring Company’s argument is that they can just add more cars. If a massive convention lets out, they can have 200 Teslas hovering near the exits. When the convention ends, those cars can go elsewhere. You can't just "add" more train tracks on the fly.
Also, look at the cost. A typical subway costs roughly $1 billion per mile to build. The Boring Company is doing this for about $20 million to $50 million per mile. Plus, the taxpayers aren't footin' the bill for the Strip expansion. The casinos are paying for their own stations.
When Steve Wynn or the folks at Genting (Resorts World) put up their own money for a tunnel, you know there’s a business case for it. They want you at their slot machines, not stuck in a taxi on Las Vegas Blvd.
The Cybertruck and the Robovan
Walking through the LVCC Central Station lately, you’ll notice the fleet is changing. It's not just Model Ys anymore.
The Cybertruck is now a regular fixture in the tunnels. It’s mostly for "wow factor" right now, but its durability makes sense for a vehicle that runs 18 hours a day.
The real "game changer" will be the Robovan.
The Boring Company has been teasing a high-capacity vehicle that can hold 12 to 14 people. Once that is deployed—likely for game days at Allegiant Stadium—the "efficiency" argument from the critics starts to crumble. You get the capacity of a bus with the speed of a private car.
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What You Need to Know Before You Ride
If you’re heading to Vegas and want to try the Tesla underground Las Vegas experience, here’s the deal:
- It’s not one single system (yet). The Convention Center Loop is its own thing (free for attendees). The "Vegas Loop" (Resorts World, etc.) is a separate commercial service.
- Buy tickets online. You can buy a day pass for around $5, or a single ride for about $3.75. You just scan a QR code at the station.
- Check the hours. It doesn't run 24/7 like a New York subway. It usually follows the hours of the conventions or the major events happening at the resorts.
- Accessibility is still a bit "meh." While they have ADA-compliant vans with ramps, it’s not as seamless as a flat-floor train. You might have to wait a few extra minutes for the specific van to arrive.
Is This the Future of Cities?
Vegas is a weird place. It’s a laboratory for things that shouldn't work.
The Loop works here because the soil (caliche) is great for tunneling and the private interest is massive. Whether this could work in a place like Chicago or LA is still up for debate. Permitting is a nightmare—The Boring Company needs over 600 permits just for the current 68-mile plan.
But even with the permits and the human drivers and the narrow tunnels, it’s hard to deny the feeling of skipping a 40-minute traffic jam by going underground.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
If you want to use the Loop on your next visit, download the Vegas Loop app or go to the official lvloop.com site to see the live map of which stations are currently active. If you’re staying at Resorts World or Westgate, skip the Uber and head to the basement. It’s cheaper, faster, and honestly, a much better story to tell when you get home.