China may build an undersea train to America

[Roma_Victrix]

China may build an undersea train to America

The beginning snippet from the article:

China is planning to build a train line that would, in theory, connect Beijing to the United States. According to a report in the Beijing Times, citing an expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese officials are considering a route that would start in the country's northeast, thread through eastern Siberia and cross the Bering Strait via a 125-mile long underwater tunnel into Alaska.

The whole idea seems pretty fantastical to me. I don't know. Is it truly feasible? The world's longest tunnel is apparently the Delaware Aqueduct, which is 85 miles (137 km) long. However, that's strictly for carrying water...this tunnel would protect and allow the movement of trains filled with passengers beneath the ocean floor of the Pacific.

[hellheaven1987]

You mean the Dragon Underground is planning to dig a tunnel into US.

[Kyriakos]

Hm?

What use would such a tunnel have? Transporting tanks to Alaska might be the sole one (but i suppose they would freeze there).

China should focus on building a train-course to the moon.

[Gaidin]

China may build an undersea train to America

The beginning snippet from the article:



The whole idea seems pretty fantastical to me. I don't know. Is it truly feasible? The world's longest tunnel is apparently the Delaware Aqueduct, which is 85 miles (137 km) long. However, that's strictly for carrying water...this tunnel would protect and allow the movement of trains filled with passengers beneath the ocean floor of the Pacific.

Depends on the exact route and thus the depths, and thus the pressures they have to deal with. Remember the Deleware Aqueduct does transport water. Thus the daily leaks aren't as...well...bad to worry about. Leaks into this tunnel...it'd be kinda scary.

[Condottiere 40K]

Probably mostly freight pulled by drones, and a few brave souls pursuing boasting rights.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Hm?

What use would such a tunnel have? Transporting tanks to Alaska might be the sole one (but i suppose they would freeze there).

China should focus on building a train-course to the moon.

When I was 5 I wanted to build a train to Saturn.

[Gaidin]

Tell me you at least went to engineering school, because that's cool.

[Col. Tartleton]

See if they were seriously proposing a mega bridge I'm sure the US and Russia would kick money in and we'd actually get it. But instead they're going to talk about a tunnel that will kill everyone.

[Caelifer_1991]

I don't see much benefit to this project, if you want to transport freight across the ocean, use a ship; if you want to transport people, use an aircraft; rail's greatest utility is in transporting freight inland, they'd be better served continuing to build rail as such into their inland provinces, or continuing to invest in Africa's projects achieving the same whereby they may accrue the associated profits.

[Gaidin]

The biggest benefit to this project is research. Forget you if you think that's not good enough.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

Tell me you at least went to engineering school, because that's cool.

My major is Chemistry with Pre-Engineering (Cause they don't have engineering). And yes, I looked back on this once and actually tried to figure out if it was theoretically possible.

Basically, if you got rid of every asteroid/comet in the Solar system, got rid of Jupiter and Mars and all their moons, got rid of Saturn's moons, and held Saturn and Earth at an equidistant interval from each other, it is theoretically possible. However, the Train would float away once it got into space.

Damn you Angular Momentum!!!

[Roma_Victrix]

Depends on the exact route and thus the depths, and thus the pressures they have to deal with. Remember the Deleware Aqueduct does transport water. Thus the daily leaks aren't as...well...bad to worry about. Leaks into this tunnel...it'd be kinda scary.

Well, there is the Channel Tunnel currently linking England and France, measuring 31 miles (50 km) in length. This proposed project is four times that size, it is true, but if it was kept at a depth at least relatively similar to the Channel Tunnel, I don't see why a longer length should be an issue besides the obvious concern about greater funding.

[Magister Militum Flavius Aetius]

China is known to cut corners with materials quality and engineering AFAIK.

[Roma_Victrix]

China is known to cut corners with materials quality and engineering AFAIK.

Yeah, for stuff like schools in Sichuan province, where they had that horrible earthquake back in 2008. However, for a project like this, like the Olympics stadium they had built in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, they'd spare no expense and look over the pet project with a careful eye. At least that's how I'd imagine it. You never know; they could end up fudging it...and causing a disaster. Those in power in Beijing don't like bad press, though, so anything beyond the small graft and corruption they can cover up is something they would have a keen interest on making look nice for the rest of the world.

[AqD]

It's only frakking 125-mile! We need one over the pacific rim.

[Roma_Victrix]

It's only frakking 125-mile! We need one over the pacific rim.

Yeah, but that would just tempt the Kaiju monsters to come and destroy it.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

They could invade and take over.The North Koreans were into tunnels when I was fighting in Vietnam.They would pop up every where.China could use this to invade.It would be a great achievement but I feel impossible to make due to Tsunamis,Godzilla,Earth Quakes

[Sir Adrian]

It can be done. It's expensive as and requires several engineering innovations but it can be pulled off within 1 or 2 decades.

[Phier]

[Sir Adrian]

Notice how the proposed route is outside it.