The tech billionaire claimed he could build the tunnel between New York and London for $20 billion.
A proposal to build a Transatlantic Tunnel between New York and London has resurfaced, and tech billionaire Elon Musk has thrown his company into the discussion. He believes he can slash the cost of the multi-trillion-dollar project.
The idea of a futuristic infrastructure where two continents could be connected by a tunnel stretching 3,400 miles could be a reality. The estimated $19.8 trillion project would allow travelers to commute between the U.S. and the U.K. in under an hour with a 54-minute ride time, according to reports.
There are several ideas on how to bring the century-old idea to life with online talk of vacuum technology or jet propulsion. Still, no official plans have ever been pressured by Americans or our friends on the other side of the pond.
Musk, who has gained a reputation for pioneering technology and bold innovations, responded to the recirculation of the proposal - specifically on the cost of the project. Musk claims his Boring Company, based in Bastrop, could be up for the task with "1000X less" money, putting the budget at $20 billion.
While the company does have a "successful" history of building tunnels, several already have doubts about Musk's claims and have shared them across platforms.
One Redditor laughingly responded to Musk's claims in a thread. "20T wouldn't touch it with the best human technology available today. 20B wouldn't get you out of New York harbor," user blu3ysdad wrote.
The Boring Company reports that it took about a year to build the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, a 1.7-mile tunnel connection. The project cost $47 million, with those calculations that would put the transatlantic budget at nearly $95 billion. That's not even taking into account the new technology needed to build in water.
Looking at The Chunnel, a real life underwater tunnel connecting London to Paris, that cost $21 billion to build the 31-mile tunnel in 1994. That comes out to $677 million per mile of the tunnel. Converting that to cover the entire Atlantic Ocean would be ridiculous, plus that was $21 billion in 1994. Adjust for inflation the price is more than doubled at $44 billion. So, our guess is no, a U.S. to U.K. tunnel would cost more than $20 billion.
Sticking to numbers, Redditors noted how Musk's track record would also make the project "1000x less safe too." In Texas, Musk's work regulations have led to the death of one Gigafactory employee, and SpaceX has been fined thousands for safety violations, including a near amputation.
Redditors also noted that the travel between London and NY would not be as simple. User MartinLutherVanHalen said, "It's embarrassing he's even responding" to the proposal.
"So for this idiotic idea to even be theoretically feasible, we have to make a train that goes 20x faster than the current limit and faster than any plane ever built. All at the size of a freight train. Even if possible the amount of energy to move something that heavy so far and so fast would require its own power station," he said.
For a final stake into Musk's claims, users took jabs at his company's other developments - specifically at the oddly shaped Cybertruck.
"Judging from the cybertruck, he barely knows what a car is either," Frankie_T9000 said.