China considers building a rail link to America: 8,000-mile journey would take less than 2 days

Daily Mail ^ | 05/17/2014 | Wills Robinson

[SeekAndFind]

China is considering building an 8,000-mile high-speed rail link to America that would take less than two days to travel.

Travelling at around 217mph, the train would leave the north east of the country, run through Siberia and enter a 125-mile tunnel under the Bering Strait, the shortest crossing between Russia and Alaska.

It would then resurface and head south through Canada, before reaching its destination in the US.

It is unclear whether the American, Canadian or Russian governments have agreed to the proposals.

But engineers claim it would provide a viable alternative to air travel, according to China Daily.

If completed, it would be 2,300 miles longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway, making it the longest train route in the world.

The underwater passage would also be four times the length of the Channel Tunnel, which connects France and the United Kingdom.

Even though the plans haven not been finalised, it is believed the project would be developed and financed by the Chinese, who have become global leaders in high-speed rail travel.

[SeekAndFind]

FEATURES:

* Route would begin in north east China and run through part of Siberia

* Would then use 125-mile tunnel to travel under the Bering Strait

* It would resurface in Alaska, head across Canada and finish in the US

* Would be 2,300 miles longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway

[Paladin2]

"217mph"

Unlikely to be achieved.

[Kackikat]

And this makes sense how?

[chajin]

Environmentalists are likely to rail about it.

[dfwgator]

Willie Green’s Wet Dream.

[MUDDOG]

Leavin’ on that midnight train to China.

[Delta Dawn]

Talk about back to the future...

[Yossarian]

This would cross through the tectonic plates that make up the earthquake-prone “Ring of Fire”, correct?

I’m not a geologist or a civil engineer - is there anyone here with the actual credentials to say whether or not this would be a irresponsible design risk?

[Jonty30]

It would only make sense for transporting goods. It is far more efficient to send things by rail than truck or train.

[Olog-hai]

Sure would. There are still plenty of hot springs in the Bering Land Bridge area, which indicates hot magma underneath. That would be a nightmare of a way to die, with your tunnel boring machine breaking into a magma chamber.

[Praxeologue]

In 2011, a $65billion tunnel between Siberia and Alaska was given the go-ahead in an effort to bridge the Bering Strait.

I didn't hear about that one.

[upchuck]

An earthquake in the Bering Strait, part of the Pacific Rim “Ring of Fire” could be awfully messy.

[dfwgator]

Sure would. There are still plenty of hot springs in the Bering Land Bridge area, which indicates hot magma underneath. That would be a nightmare of a way to die, with your tunnel boring machine breaking into a magma chamber.

[Octar]

After the earthquake when water shoots out of both ends of the tunnel, who will obama blame?

[keat]

Might make sense, might not. But, this is the kind of big thinking we used to do when we were a great nation.

[righttackle44]

I was once on the BART in San Francisco. Under the bay, the lights flickered and the train began to slow. You could see fear on the faces of virtually everyone. A little while later, people began to show signs of panic.

Fortunately, everything turned out all right.

But an tremor or earthquake thousands of feet under the Pacific Ocean could kill a whole bunch of people. Or, what if there is a catastrophic health problem such as am heart attack or stroke under down there? On a train, you can get emergency medevac. Be no such thing in the Pacific Ocean.

[Olog-hai]

Yeahh right. Even if it were buildable, what train could sustain an average speed of over 167 mph for two days? (167 mph = average speed achieved when traveling 8,000 miles in 48 hours.)

[MeshugeMikey]

obama has already referenced this project as a Transcontinental Ballistic Railway...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Orient Express II.