SpaceX Removes Hyperloop Test Tube

A tube that, for six years, hosted a variety of experimental transportation solutions that would theoretically have become Elon Musk’s Hyperloop has been removed from the right-of-way in front of SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California office.

As Jonah Valdez reports for the Los Angeles Times, the city received complaints about the tube, which residents claimed blocked pedestrian access. “The tube took up an eastbound lane heading toward Crenshaw Avenue, complicating existing concerns in the busy area about traffic congestion, drivers traveling at freeway speeds and pedestrian safety.” Multiple SpaceX employees were also hit by vehicles while crossing the street, prompting the company to build a pedestrian bridge to its parking garage.

While representatives for SpaceX and Boring Co. did not respond to inquiries, Bloomberg reported earlier this week that the Hyperloop “has been indefinitely shelved.” Local officials are unsure whether a mile-long underground test tunnel is still in use. Hawthorne City Attorney Robert Kim says the company is required to backfill the tunnel when testing is complete. “More recently, Musk backed out of a tunnel project that would have transported riders from the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink station to Ontario International Airport. San Bernardino County transit officials plan to carry on the project without him.”