Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened

Elon Musk stated on X that permits were impossible to obtain for The Boring Company's proposed East Coast Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The comment responded to questions about his 2017 announcement of verbal government approval for a 29-minute underground transit system with city-center stations.

According to Teslarati, local and state officials had no knowledge of any approval, and the White House only acknowledged promising conversations. Limited progress included a conditional utility permit in Maryland and a preliminary permit in Washington, D.C., for site preparation at a potential station. A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019, but by April 2021 the project was removed from the company's website and federal agencies reported no further interest.

The full corridor required coordination among multiple states and federal agencies, with environmental reviews, utility clearances, and novel infrastructure approvals adding complexity. Speculation centers on exhaustive safety and engineering reviews for unproven vacuum-tube technology, political exposure for officials, and limited engineering plans. The project quietly ended without construction, and Musk frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse.

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Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened — Teslarati