• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

3

Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
Techhyperloop

Cities Say They Haven’t Approved Elon Musk’s East Coast Hyperloop

Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
Aric Jenkins
By
Aric Jenkins
Aric Jenkins
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 20, 2017, 4:57 PM ET

It was the tweet heard ’round the Northeast Corridor.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Thursday that The Boring Company, a side project of his focused on tunneling infrastructure, received “verbal government approval” to construct an underground Hyperloop route from New York City to Washington, D.C. The trip would take just 29 minutes, Musk said, with “up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city.” The Hyperloop is a yet-unproven high speed train concept that would theoretically be able to travel over 700 miles per hour.

Musk said the route would serve four cities: New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore. But when contacted by Fortune, representatives for these cities said they have not approved such a project. Moreover, they also said that they have not yet held substantive discussions on the proposal.

“This is the first we’ve heard of it, but we can’t wait to hear more,” LaToya Foster, press secretary for the mayor of Washington, D.C., told Fortune.

“Elon Musk has had no contact with Philadelphia officials on this matter. We do not know what he means when he says he received ‘verbal government approval,'” said Mike Dunn, deputy communications director at the City of Philadelphia.

“Right now, I would characterize any conversations as preliminary and not extensive,” said Anthony McCarthy, director of communications for the Baltimore mayor’s office. He added that the City of Baltimore has not given Musk or The Boring Company approval for the project.

“This is news to City Hall,” said New York City Press Secretary Eric Phillips in a tweet about Musk’s announcement. He later added: “The entirety of what we know about this proposal is what’s in Mr. Musk’s Tweet. That is not how we evaluate projects of any scale.” Phillips’ deputy added that Musk “must be joking.”

The White House did not confirm Musk’s tweet either. “We have had promising conversations to date, are committed to transformative infrastructure projects and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector,” the White House said in a statement to The New York Times.

Shortly after his original message — and facing a flurry of questions on the matter — Musk walked back his announcement. “Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly,” he tweeted about an hour and a half after his original post.

Musk later appeared to be drumming up support for the measure, tweeting that “if you want this to happen fast, please let your local & federal elected representatives know. Makes a big difference if they hear from you.”

Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

From where Musk may have received his “verbal govt approval” remains unknown. A Boring Company spokesperson told Fortune that the project has received support from “key government decision-makers,” but did not provide further specifics.

If Musk could indeed build a high-speed route between the United States’ economic and political centers, it could be a game-changer for the east coast. But he would first need approval from a great many number of agencies and other stakeholders, as urbanist and Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student Yonah Freemark pointed out. “Approval needed from: Federal [Department of Transportation]; 6 states; 17 counties; numerous cities; hundreds of elected officials,” said Freemark on Twitter. “Definitely happening rapidly.” Musk has demonstrated a unique knack for overcoming expectations. But even he may not be able to beat city hall.

About the Author
Aric Jenkins
By Aric Jenkins
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

trader
CommentarySoftware
The 50-year-old law that governed every software company just broke. Here’s what replaces it
By Martin Casado and Abhishek NagarajMay 20, 2026
4 minutes ago
Exclusive: Circle cofounder raises $30 million for Series A ‘AI-native bank’ Catena Labs
CryptoVenture Capital
Exclusive: Circle cofounder raises $30 million for Series A ‘AI-native bank’ Catena Labs
By Ben WeissMay 20, 2026
34 minutes ago
FJ Campbell, MD, is chief medical officer at Ardent Health.
CommentaryHealth
A doctor shortage is coming. AI could be the only realistic fix
By FJ CampbellMay 20, 2026
2 hours ago
Alex Israel crosses his arms
AITerm Sheet
How Metropolis built a $5 billion AI infrastructure company out of America’s parking problem
By Lily Mae LazarusMay 20, 2026
2 hours ago
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in Mountain View, California on May 19, 2026. (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
At Google I/O 2026, it’s AI, AI, and more AI
By Andrew NuscaMay 20, 2026
3 hours ago
Exclusive: Advocacy groups file complaint against Roblox, alleging its manipulative design puts kids at risk
CybersecurityRoblox
Exclusive: Advocacy groups file complaint against Roblox, alleging its manipulative design puts kids at risk
By Catherina GioinoMay 20, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
15 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
8 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 19, 2026
23 hours ago
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
Personal Finance
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
By Courtney Vinopal and HR BrewMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.