China mulls building high-speed underwater train from China to US

[CougarKing]

...and which would cross Canada...

National Post

China mulling construction of high-speed train through Canada to the U.S.: report

It sure sounds far-fetched but a story in the Beijing Times claims China is considering building a high-speed train that would connect China’s northeast with the United States. The project would cross Siberia and the Bering Strait to Alaska, and then go across Canada into the United States, according to the English-language report published in the state-run China Daily. To cross the Bering Strait into Alaska, the railway would need a 200 kilometre underwater tunnel, which implies it would be around four times the length of the tunnel that crosses the English Channel, notes a very skeptical Washington Post article on the report.

China Daily claims that the technology to construct such a long underwater tunnel already exists and will be used to build a tunnel to connect China’s Fujian province with Taiwan. “Right now we’re already in discussions. Russia has already been thinking about this for many years,” said a railway expert cited by the Beijing Times, according to the Independent’s report on the story. The train would reportedly travel at around 350 kilometres per hour, meaning the entire trip between the United States and China would take around two days.

(...EDITED)

 

[George Wallace]

Now that would really be something. 

It a really a shame that Canada, and the US, have allowed their Railways to deteriorate so badly over the past four or five decades.  No one had the vision to promote and improve rail travel in both countries.  On just about every continent, travel by rail is a fast, efficient and cheap mode to get from point A to point B.  Only Antarctica has less.  :nod:

 

[Staff Weenie]

I'd be interested to see how they plan to deal with the earthquake risk - I'd hate to be underwater and have the 'tube' crack due to an earthquake.

 

[George Wallace]

I'd be interested to see how they plan to deal with the earthquake risk - I'd hate to be underwater and have the 'tube' crack due to an earthquake.

>

At "350 kilometres per hour," you wouldn't even know what hit you.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I'd be interested to see how they plan to deal with the earthquake risk - I'd hate to be underwater and have the 'tube' crack due to an earthquake.

Yup. The complete route is within the whole top half of the Ring of Fire seismic area.

 

[lawandorder]

I'm surprised they didn't present this a la "Monorail" Simpsons song montage.