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[Blablurn]

China Daily has reported that China is planing to build a high-speed rail from China to the United States.

The proposed journey begins in China's northeast, spans across Siberia to Bering Strait, crosses the Pacific Ocean by an undersea tunnel before reaching Alaska, then Canada, and then finally arriving in the US.

Not convinced? The technology to build an undersea tunnel that stretches across 200km, required to cross Bering Strait already exists due to upcoming project to build a high-speed rail between Fujian and Taiwan.

Running at an average speed of 350km per hour, passengers would apparently be able to complete the journey in under two days.

Details have yet to be finalised but the project is yet another in a string of ambitious plans for high-speed rail. China to Singapore via Laos, China to Singapore via Kunming, China to India, China to England, you name it and there's a plan to get there by high-speed rail.

These plans have not been welcomed by all, with rare protests staged in Beijing at the 2012 resisting the construction of high-speed rail projects.

All in all, if there was any country to achieve such a feat, it would probably be China, with its command of such a tireless labour force.

http://shanghaiist.com/2014/05/08/china_proposes_high_speed_rail_from.php

 

[rpmurphy]

Holy crap, I want this.

 

[Twilight Gap]

Guess I should stop digging.

 

[snacknuts]

I'm sure working with China and Russia on something like this would be delightful.

 

[velociraptor]

I actually had a dream that I was in the future where all major cities were interconnected by rail

e.g. London, Paris, Munich, New York, New Dehli

I think it took me 3 hours to go from London to New York in my dream.

 

[Random Painted HIghway]

Tireless labour force? That's one way of putting it.

 

[Bo Knows GAF]

Guess I should stop digging.

But you were so close

 

[Mii]

2 days is a bit long. Any fare estimate?

 

[chickdigger802]

think ill take my chances flying archaic airplanes, than go under the sea in a china built tunnel.

 

[Pedrito]

Most useless infrastructure project ever?

Wait until China realises that it's much more expensive to expropriate land owners in Canada and the US.

 

[Akainu]

And make it easier for the commies to come to america? I don't think so.

 

[faridmon]

Oh man, and interconnected high speed train through Europe would be amazing!

Think about it, it would take only 10 hours or so to travel from Oslo, to Rome.

 

[Kimawolf]

We should build a rail from The U.S. East coast to Africa. Would be amazing.

 

[nilbog21]

I wish the USA would do more cool shit like this

 

[explodet]

And then after two days of travel you're turned away at the border because the customs agent decided he didn't like you.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

I actually had a dream that I was in the future where all major cities were interconnected by rail

e.g. London, Paris, Munich, New York, New Dehli

I think it took me 3 hours to go from London to New York in my dream.

Used to be able to do that on Concorde >:-(

Spoiler

Well, 3.5 hours, close enough.

 

[MikeHattsu]

2 days on a train? Would have to be much cheaper than taking a plane before I'd consider it.

 

[GK86]

Its a trap. Its really a tunnel for their invading army.

 

[Goliath]

I actually had a dream that I was in the future where all major cities were interconnected by rail

e.g. London, Paris, Munich, New York, New Dehli

I think it took me 3 hours to go from London to New York in my dream.

You have commute time in your dreams?? Man that's boring. I just take off and fly on my dragon in my dreams.

 

[Syf]

Pretty sure I'd be terrified of traveling in a tunnel under the pacific for that long. I'll stick to airplanes.

 

[Yawnier]

And make it easier for the commies to come to america? I don't think so.

Its a trap. Its really a tunnel for their invading army.

:lol

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Pretty sure I'd be terrified of traveling in a tunnel under the pacific for that long. I'll stick to airplanes.

trading one big metal box of death for another!

 

[Goliath]

Pretty sure I'd be terrified of traveling in a tunnel under the pacific for that long. I'll stick to airplanes.

What could go wrong? A Chinese quality built tunnel that is underwater withstanding tons of pressure as you travel at a high speed. I don't see any flaws here.

 

[Mii]

Its a trap. Its really a tunnel for their invading army.

I think we'll be okay if they try

 

[Red Liquorice]

Leg cramp, now available in dark tunnel form.

 

[shira]

This would be a terrorist dream and a security nightmare

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Tickets come with one free mass burial if the train derails.

 

[NobleGundam]

Cool idea. I don't like the feeling of a malfunctioned train stuck in an undersea tunnel that's thousands of miles away to get to and fix it. What if a terrorist group manages to take people hostage aboard the train and plans to detonate themselves along with everything else within the tunnel?

 

[Paskil]

This is how the Chinese invade Alaska.

#falloutforeshadowing

 

[Syf]

trading one big metal box of death for another!

More about the tunnel, lol. At least on a plane I can look outside. Tunnels and I don't go well together.

 

[thefit]

I want to see them try to convince US legislators to vote for this when they won't even fund rail systems in their own cities and states.

 

[Amentallica]

If we didn't have moving tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes, and similar problems, I'd be really happy about this, but I can't help but to think that such a system is extremely susceptible to damage and destruction. Imagine the rail sustaining damage under water? Oh fuck that.

 

[Astorgh]

That sounds impossibly awesome.

 

[Tuck]

What would be the benefit over flying? Seems pointless.

 

[Dougald]

What would be the benefit over flying? Seems pointless.

Romance?

Also freight. I bet this would be incredible for freight. That would be where the *real* money lies

Likelihood of it happening is pretty close to zero though

 

[chickdigger802]

Romance?

Also freight. I bet this would be incredible for freight. That would be where the *real* money lies

but this is a high speed train, are those used for freight?

 

[J-Rod]

I'd rather not spend 4 days in transit. Jet seems to be a better option, and probably cheaper than building a tunnel across the ocean.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

What would be the benefit over flying? Seems pointless.

Trains dude

They rock

 

[zeemumu]

Now we'll never have that Total Recall elevator that just drops straight through the Earth's core.

 

[sturmdogg]

If US-made, why not? If Chinese, hell no!

 

[rpmurphy]

What would be the benefit over flying? Seems pointless.

Train cabins are nicer than planes.

 

[WalkMan]

Romance?

Also freight. I bet this would be incredible for freight. That would be where the *real* money lies

Likelihood of it happening is pretty close to zero though

Perishable* freight. Cargo ships right now are dirt cheap for transporting sheer mass, but they're slow.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

Sounds cool, but two days? I'd rather just fly.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I'll stick to flying.

 

[andycapps]

So really, you'd only be in the underground tunnel for about half an hour. Seems like an interesting idea, though I'm skeptical that they'll be able to get this to work in the US and Canada.

 

[Dougald]

but this is a high speed train, are those used for freight?

They run freight trains through the high speed channel tunnel between the UK and France - just because it's a high speed line doesn't mean they have to run only high speed trains!


The whole thing is a massive pipe dream though. Only people doing it for the journey/people afraid of flying will want to use this as a serious option for transport

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

If the comfort level was high enough (sleeping car, leg room for human-sized legs), I'd give it a shot

 

[ProfessorX]

How many trains can travel the through the tunnel at once?

 

[Chichikov]

I wish we were aiming higher as far as speed go, 2 days is a bit much, but I love trains, the more the merrier.

Tireless labour force? That's one way of putting it.

An accurate way?
I'm not sure what you're implying exactly, but China has a great and expanding fast rail system which is built for the most part by well compensated (by Chinese standards) workers.

 

[Dark Octave]

Nope.