Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company, has unveiled another bold idea: a $20 billion tunnel that would connect New York City to London, allowing passengers to travel the 5,500-kilometer distance in just 54 minutes. This proposal, while ambitious, is part of Musk’s ongoing efforts to revolutionize transportation and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
The concept of a transatlantic tunnel is not new, but previous estimates placed the cost at an astronomical $25 trillion. Musk, however, believes his company, The Boring Company, can achieve the project for a fraction of that amount. On X (formerly Twitter), he responded to a post about the tunnel, stating, “The @boringcompany could do that for 1000x less money.”
Building such a tunnel would be an engineering marvel. The Channel Tunnel, which connects the UK and France, spans 23.5 kilometers and took six years to complete. A transatlantic tunnel would require overcoming immense technical challenges, including designing structures that can withstand the pressures of the ocean floor or developing floating tunnels anchored with cables.
This proposal is part of Musk’s broader vision to transform global travel. His company SpaceX has already proposed using Starship rockets for rapid “Earth-to-Earth” flights, with journeys from London to New York taking just 30 minutes. However, Musk’s ambitious predictions have not always come to pass. For example, his forecasts of fully autonomous Tesla vehicles and robotaxis remain unfulfilled.
While the transatlantic tunnel may still be a distant dream, other innovative projects are making progress. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, an 18-kilometer underwater road and rail tunnel connecting Denmark and Germany, is set to open in 2029. This project aims to reduce travel time and improve connectivity between the two regions.
Whether Musk’s tunnel becomes a reality or not, his ideas continue to inspire and challenge our understanding of what’s possible in transportation and infrastructure.
