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Elon Musk in July teased the idea of an underground hyperloop that would transport riders from New York to D.C. in under 30 minutes. The plan appeared to be a pipe dream, and many in the region scoffed at his claim of "verbal government approval," but now the idea looks to be moving forward.
Maryland has given Musk conditional approval to begin digging miles of tunnel under state roads, launching construction on the first leg of the route, the Washington Post reports.
The Boring Co., Musk's tunnel-building enterprise, will begin digging under a 10-mile stretch of the state-owned portion of MD-295 in Anne Arundel County.
The hyperloop system would shoot pods at high speeds in vacuum-sealed tubes. Musk claims it would transport people from New York to D.C. in 29 minutes, with stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
"Our administration is proud to support The Boring Company to bring rapid electric transportation to MD — connecting Baltimore City to D.C.," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a tweet Thursday.
Maryland officials said the digging would be privately financed and cost the state little to nothing. It remains unclear whether any environmental reviews are necessary for the project. The Boring Co. did not provide information on costs or a timeline of the project.
Such an immediate groundbreaking on the high-speed transportation system would stand in stark contrast to the years of planning, approvals and lawsuits Maryland had to traverse before finally breaking ground on the Purple Line in August.
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