Elon Musk's plan to build a tunnel system that would move people between Washington, D.C., and New York in 29 minutes took a small step toward becoming a possible reality with an approval to begin work at what may become a stop on the proposed system.

The D.C. transportation department issued a permit allowing Musk's Boring Company to conduct preliminary excavation and other work at a parking lot on New York Avenue in the city, The Washington Post reported.

"The Boring Company is working with federal, state, and local officials on constructing a high speed transportation system from Washington DC to Baltimore, which would then be extended to New York," a Boring Company spokesman said in an email Tuesday.

"Stations in a Loop or Hyperloop system are small in size and widely distributed in a network - very different from large station termini considered for train systems," the spokesman said. "In Washington DC, a New York Avenue location, if constructed, could become a station in this network."

The news came months after Musk, known for his Tesla electric vehicles, tweeted that he had received "verbal approval" to build an underground Hyperloop that would link Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.

Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2017

Musk's plan remains a distant possibility and officials have said they are still reviewing the extent of the work.

The vision for the system involves using tunnels and pods to ferry travelers at ultra high speeds. Officials last year approved preliminary work for the tunnel in Maryland.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.