China Plans 8000+ Mile High Speed Underwater Railway to America

By: | May 19th, 2014

The China to America trip would take two days but no word yet on how much the project could cost. Photo © Andrii Lurlov

China has developed some of the world’s largest architecture and most advanced technology but the country’s next project would be its biggest accomplishment yet. The Chinese government is in the planning stages of building an 8000+ mile long high speed underwater railway from China to America, according to Chinese media reports.

The overall trip would begin on the north side of China in Beijing, run through Siberia and travel 125 miles underwater spanning the Bering Strait, then through Alaska and Canada before ending its route in New York City. The trip from one end to the other would take about 2 days, the official report states.

The real question here is, will China even attempt to build it after planning and estimating the cost?

Most engineers are skeptical that it can be done since the underwater strait is supposed to be four times longer than the current longest underwater railway, the Euro channel, connecting Great Britain and France.

“The Beijing Times listed the China-US line as one of four international high-speed rail projects currently in the works. The first is a line that would run from London via Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Kiev and Moscow, where it would split into two routes, one of which would run to China through Kazakhstan and the other through eastern Siberia. The second line would begin in the far-western Chinese city of Urumqi and then run through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey to Germany. The third would begin in the south-western city of Kunming and end in Singapore. The routes are under various stages of planning and development,” the paper reads.

If any country can do it, China can, and they certainly take their railroads seriously. However, it’s years from development and the feat is met with both skepticism, enthusiasm from engineers and maybe even the general public.

Austin Miller

I am an aspiring physicist, with an interest in art and technology.

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