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The Russian government has given the go-ahead on an ambitious new tunnel project that could connect Siberia with Alaska via an underground rail line. If completed, the $65 billion project will be the longest underwater tunnel in the world, besting the Chunnel between England and France by twice the distance. The planned course would stretch over 65 miles and would snake beneath the Big and Little Diomede Islands.
World's Longest Tunnel to Connect Russia and Alaska
Seeded on Fri Sep 2, 2011 9:06 AM EDT
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Wow! The world is becoming very small! I'm skeptical of large international projects these days. The increased interconnectedness of nations has apparently led to the disempowerment of nations. For example, how can the United States censure China for anything given that we borrow more money from them that we can count? Getting to the Russian issue, if we build this railway and become more economically connected with Russia we're in bed with them no matter what they do. You get me?
- 2 votes
#3 - Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:51 PM EDTGood point-- with all the interaction-- including necessary and inevitable economic interaction-- it might bring us all closer together.
- 1 vote
I guess Obama must have been referring to the future when he said intercontinental railroad last week. :)
Now I want to know if this is going to be its own separate railroad? Is the Alaska RR going to connect with it? Further more, are Canadian National and/or Canadian Pacific going to build track all the way to Alaska?
I just hope the Russian build it to high speed rail specifications. At least plan on accommodating high speed passenger rail sometime in the future.
- 1 vote
#5 - Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:55 PM EDTI would imagine that all these railroads would connect-- eventually. That would be the sensible thing to do...
- 1 vote
It probably would be.
I am just wondering if this will present enough return on investment for one of the Canadian roads to build up to Alaska. At the moment, Alaska is isolated from the rest of the continent by rail.
I do not know how the Alaska railroad would fund this venture. It is owned by the state, but does operate at a profit.
Alaska presents a major engineering challenge on the surface.
- 1 vote
Uh... there is the AL-CAN <-- road like I-5 through canada and into alaska.
There is no reason to build a rail from the lower 48 to alaska unless you want to create jobs. The tickets on the rail would be prohibative to all but maybe the upper 10% of the population. There is no High Speed Rails in the US that I'm aware of except the one they are supposed to be building in California/Nevada. It is 2,500 miles from Washington State to Alaska taking the AlCan, Even on a high speed train wouldn't you be looking at an overnight trip? Would be great to have one, but I don't think it would be coming anytime soon.
I find it very interesting Russia is funding this venture when we have not heard anything on the US side about it. I posted an article in my blog on Sept 19th, and it's the only article I've seen on it, do you have more to referce? I'd love to read more, this affects Alaska in a Serious way, and I lived in Alaska for 20 years.
- 1 vote
#6 - Wed Oct 5, 2011 9:31 PM EDTYou do realize that the main reason this rail line is being built is to haul freight right? Passenger is just a potential long term addition. There is also such a thing as high speed freight rail.
There is one official high speed rail route between Boston-NYC-Washington D.C. but it is far from being anything in Europe. There are several other planned corridors in the U.S.
- 1 vote
There is one official high speed rail route between Boston-NYC-Washington D.C. but it is far from being anything in Europe
Aren't there some in Asia-- I think maybe Japan?
- 2 votes
Aren't there some in Asia-- I think maybe Japan?
Oh yes, but Elaine was referring the U.S. and I just used Europe as an example. Japan, China, Taiwan all have a form of High Speed Rail transportation.
- 2 votes
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