In what could certainly be one of the boldest infrastructure developments ever announced, the Russian Government has given the go-ahead to build a transcontinental railway linking Siberia with North America. The massive undertaking would traverse the Bering Strait with the world’s longest tunnel – a project twice the length of the Chunnel between England and France. The $65 billion project aims to feed North America with raw goods from the Siberian interior and beyond, but it could also provide a key link to developing a robust renewable energy transmission corridor that feeds wind and tidal power across vast distances while linking a railway network across 3/4 of the Northern Hemisphere.
Photo by Wikicommons
The idea is actually not very new — Tsar Nicholas II dreamed of the railway and tunnel in 1905. The on-again off-again scheme would provide a vital economic resource for both Asia and Americas by providing an efficient link of not only goods and passengers but also fiber optic cables and transmission lines. The key is a 65-mile-long tunnel that would pass underneath the Big Diomede and Little Diomede islands in the Bering Strait. The tunnel, at a projected cost of $10-12 billion, is to be built in three sections and would cross the International Date Line, reconnecting the two land masses.
I would like to see a project like this succeed. It would give all three countries (Russia, USA, Canada) an incredible trade route and be an economic boon.
I don’t really see why this couldn’t happen, technical speaking. The Channel Tunnel is about half this distance and twice the depth. And that took 6 years (88-94) to build two decades ago. We should be able to pull it off.
Exelente pagina, los seguire a diario..
En hora buena !!
Mr. Mak Pruzzi
people, you do realize the pacific floor is being subducted on both sides. The area is not geologically stable.
But there has been an enormous amount of traffic across the English Channel for centuries. I don’t think there is even scheduled ferry traffic across the Bering Strait. However, we would expect traffic to originate from further away on both sides. A tunnel might be very successful.
I don’t hold out a lot of hope for the wind energy part, though. Unless someone develops cheap energy storage.
Err that’s right chief .. my shoe phone is working fine .. I said the Russians were coming .. yes by train.
@vanzandtj, one of the most interesting aspect to me of this project is the transcontinental grid. You don’t need energy storage if you can link separate points of the globe. The wind will always be blowing somewhere, meaning reliable power is always available. This is proven out by many studies on wind energy (like the super grid along the eastern seaboard being developed now). To learn more hit the link in the post.
They could sell the excavated material to Hong Kong so they can build more land.
Would keep a lot of people busy
The high speed railway and tunnel will be a great feat.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com
In theory you will be able to get on a train in London and get off again in New York. The long way round but still!
As for a global electrical grid, I think there is a limit to how far electricity can travel due to resistance but I might be wrong. Perhaps it just works when you add the power stations together.
I don’t know how many US citizens realize that the US imports more oil from Canada than from any other nation. Virtually all of Canada’s energy exports, oil, natural gas, and coal, go to the USA. Furthermore, environmental extremists have been blocking the development of new pipelines and rail lines to provide alternative transport from Alberta and Saskatchewan to alternative customers.
Perhaps someone is getting fed up with the below-market prices of WTI oil at Cushing ….
Any sort of electricity transferred through the tunnel across continents would surely experience an extreme voltage drop, thus rendering this somewhat inefficient.
Um, is it a $10-$12 billion tunnel, and 65 miles long, as the article states, or is it $65 billion like the headline states?
Maybe it is $10B to $12B just to build the tunnel. The additional $50B is spend on the renewable energy producers, rail lines, electric train engines — cause you certainly don’t want a diesel motor filling up that tunnel with exhaust. Then there is the terminals at both ends.
LOL well I give them praise for dreaming big, but this plan is seriously flawed. First, North America has no high speed rail lines anywhere near Alaska; Second, there are no rail lines connecting Alaska to Canada or the lower 48, not to mention the Bering Sea to Alaska’s railbelt; third, you can buy a hell of a lot of ships to transport cargo for 11 billion, so I don’t see the economics; fourth, there are serious social consequences to opening up Siberia and Western Alaska that way- these should be considered.
Hmm. That’d be a fun journey, but I too have some reservations about plate tectonics. Also, it’s all fine and good that Russia wants to do it, but will the US sign up? Finally, if Alaska says they’re in, will the federal gov’t foot the bill? Will the jobs be equal?…on both sides of the straight, I mean. Our governor here in Florida refused Federal funds for a rail line, which I think is idiotic as it creates jobs and adds an alternative to car traffic within the state.
This is a great proposal; and probably without any downside issues.
Given ‘Peak Oil’ and the unavoidable ramifications thereof, the use of electric railway systems (Powered by hydro, wind and tidal projects.) just might allow us to survive our now unsustainable dependence / reliance on fossil fuels.
It is most important that all such projects be conceived and achieved before the downside of the Hubbert curve denies us the energy, from fossil fuels, that shall be so necessary to the building of such projects.
There is little time to waste.
All should support this and do so by contacting their government representatives and urging them to do what they can to support all such ventures.
Indeed, putting aside some concern regarding fault lines that could rupture and destroy such a tunnel, it should be supported by all.
Daniel J. Lavigne, Founder
MedicAngel®
Social consequences be damned, hardly anyone lives there, if necessary they can be bribed, relocated, or given the treatment the American railroad builders gave the Indians. On these kinds of projects, I’d like design and investment return to be dealt with; those who care about other issues could put up so money or STFU.
Being a Russian project, an understanding of the effects of very cold, and often wet and cold, weather prob’ly informs this project. Tourists (not the ones stowed away in containers) should nonetheless be prepared. Please review relevant movies before embarking.
Has anybody watched Ice Road Truckers? I’m sure a lot of people have. But these are the kind of roads that “goods” will be traveling when coming down from the Bering Straight. Not at all conducive to travel or transport. Is Russia going to build anything on the US side? Otherwise this will just be a tunnel to nowhere.
@klktrk Not true – the whole of eastern Russia, including the Bering strait, lies on the North American plate, which actually extends into Russia as far as the Lena River (near Yakustk). The Bering Strait is geologically stable.
How would climate change affect this project (warming leading to rising sea level, northward population migration, etc.)?
Electrical Engineer here. The issue of power loss across the tunnel is minor. There are already much much longer lines than that length all over the world. Loss in the line is minimal. Most of the loss comes from substations for conversion of voltage levels, which will probably only be needed at the ends. The energy potentially saved by reliable renewable energy sources greatly outweigh any loss in efficiency across the tunnel.
One word: Earthquake (or will it be a rubber tunnel?)
We’ve bandied about the concept of the Mackenzie Valley pipleine in Canada for better than 30 years. The environmental assessment continues still. Projects of this magnitude require forward thinking and progressive governments to not only be in place, but to remain in place. This newest, proposed conintental link is a natural progession of world trade and should be embraced as a another step towards true peace on earth.
My concern would be the real prospect of earthquakes. This seems to be too great a danger to allow this project to proceed. Perhaps a design can be acheived to overcome the threat. It seems unlikely.
But what optimisim this project is! It is inspiring.
Best wishes to all from Beautiful British Columbia.
It is about time; long have I been dreaming of a bridge over or under the Bering strait. They need to also build a road with it, so a person can literally drive around the world! Imagine being able to drive from, say, Florida, to Paris France! Hell of a toll road. But it could be done. Also, intercontinental trucking would be a possibility–the economic repercussions are astronomical. BUILD A ROAD TOO!!!! Who’s with me?
Also they need to go ahead with the geosynchronous satellite anchored to earth base idea so that I could ride the elevator to space.
The Times article this article is based on was published in 2007. I’m all for it, but there haven’t been any new developments since the 2007 announcement, have there?
There is currently no ferry service from Alaska to Russia because the road infrastructure in Russia in that area is basically non-existent. From what I’ve gathered, the only way to make it across that part of Russia currently is in the winter when the ground is frozen and even then, it’s going to require a vehicle that is *very* off-road capable. What would be great would be if you could put your car or motorcycle on a “ferry train” and travel between Alaska and Russia.
What a sad commentary on the U.S. 30 years of cheering on those who broke up and sold off what previous generations had built so that our once-foe is greater than us. Putin must be laughing his ass off. We’ll need the railroad for the Russians to send their welfare food supplies to us.
Sage123183, you still can’t drive all the way from North America to South American. There’s a portion down in Central America that you need to ship your vehicle around it. It’s call the Darien Gap…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap
building a tunnel across the Bering Strait does not get one anywhere. It would be about 75 miles to Nome, and then where are you? The northern point of the Alaska Railroad is Fairbanks, about 600 miles east of Nome. There is no road across there, much less a railroad. The Railroad does not go to Canada, it goes to Seward, Alaska, straight south of Fairbanks, maybe another 600 miles. One will not be able to drive without a whole lot of road building on the Alaska side of the Strait. I don’t think that’s going to happen in our lifetime, anyway.
sounds great how do i get in on this. something possitive for a change. Can you imagine all the jobs this would create? Granted thet built the brooklyn bridge in 1900′s but they managed to keep H2O out successfully. and all the other tunnells around the world . I see no reason this could not be done.
Curious to know who the companies are who will be building this. If anyone knows… please write DRogers199@aol.com Thanks.
Wont happen. No road or rail link to Nome. Nor will there be. No rail link to Canada either. Does Russian not think Alaska already has natural resources in abundance? Actually we do. We are fighting the Federal Government to get at them I suppose is our problem. But any notion of “high speed” is ridiculous. Where in North America exists “high speed”? It doesn’t. So given the death rate of moose on the Alaska Railroad in winter I think 20-40mph will be the top speed of any pipe dream train the russians could dream up. Simply put, Alaska cannot even get its own pipeline refilled, let alone build a gas line intra or inter-state. With 700,000 people and dwindling natural resource exports despite being overloaded with them the likelihood of any rail to Nome or the Strait is ZERO! But then again if the Russkies are keen and want to pay for it all…..? ha, wouldn’t that be funny. Sorry , not in a million years. Hmmm train to Siberia from Seattle…in say 5 days or fly there in 1? Cost of operation versus profit made from freight and passengers? Nope , not a chance. Bring on the tar sands baby~!
If we learned anything from the end of the film 28 Days Later, it’s that trans-continental tunnels make it far too difficult to contain zombie outbreaks. I think we should reconsider this for the sake of our children.
wak88 u have got 2 b kiddin. i hope. but considering how id10t and citizen have come to describe the same folks…
NO NO NO..
not good idea about alaska tunnel to ussr russia..
NO WAY..
dont let america pay to building tunnel from alaska to ussr russia
In addition to the comments above noting that there is no connection to the rest of the North American rail system from Alaska, the author states that rail is the most efficient transportation. Tell that to the steamship guys! Container ships are much more efficient over 1000 miles or so on a cost per ton-mile basis.
If there were enough freight to move that way, you would move it south in Russia to a year-round port or spend a few hundred million to make a more northern port usable all year. Then you would load the freight to ships for the west coast of the U.S. It would be far less costly in terms of both initial capital and ongoing expense.
If there were enough freight to move in either direction and it made economic sense, it would already be moving.
Not only is this idea nonsensical from an economic development and investment standpoint,it is probably just plain false. Is it possible that the Russian government “greenlighted” this project without having high level meetings and some sort of agreement with the U.S., Canada and Alaska? Since no one has heard of those meetings, the odds are that some one made this up whole cloth.
With the Bering Strait Bridge, they could make money if they allow travelers to use it and they charge of course. But also it would be used for ‘shipping’ freight, and connecting the oil supply. They’ll make money at a much higher rate than with the Transatlantic Tunnel, if it were built. And I have an idea how the tunnel part could be completed in under 10 years. I wish they knew with the same fast method, the Bering Strait Tunnel alone could be built in less than a year. Too bad the railroad lines would be many times longer, take longer and cost much more to build. But with the fast built tunnel method, there could even be a way to finish the railroad system faster. Too bad with only a high school diploma, I would never catch their interest with my ideas. Oh, and by the way- the zone in the Bering Strait is stabled. It may be the international dateline, the natural dateline is over in Russia. In Khabarovsk and Sakha It’s how far the North American plate extends, Despite the continents’ and nations’ boundaries.
The Bering Strait Tunnel if I may correct myself. It’s stuck in my memory. When I type it, I think of the term “it” and I type it, as ‘bridge’, the one I’ve remembered for years, until I recently heard about the Tunnel.
The most energy efficient form of transportation is river transport. Just float it down. The most economically efficient form of transportation is river transport. Just float it down. Going up river, not quite as energy efficient, but still more economically efficient.
Rivers of course have limits cause they don’t go everywhere. Railroads can go more places than rivers go. Railroads, however, are a lot more expensive to build. You don’t have to build rivers.
Methinks the authors probably meant to specificy that railroads are the most efficient/economical method of LAND transportation, which is true. They are not, however, nearly as flexible as trucks.
All that said, the Bering Strait Connection (whether by bridge, tunnel, or combination) is a long way off, precisely because for all practical purposes, it’s a connection between Nowhere and Nowhereski.
Without looking at exactly what the Russki’s are planning, my guess is they are going to be significantly improving their infrastracture through Siberia to tap the natural resources, and simply shipping the resources to Japan and North America from Eastern Pacific ports and running ‘em by rail to China.
This sounds more like a great way to transport troops to me…the Russian’s would have loved to have a freeway directly into western Europe during WWII. Would have made travel for their tanks much easier…
I would like to see the modern evacuated tube transport system instead of a new traintrack.
http://et3.com/