China outlines plans for outrageously grand and incredibly unlikely undersea train to the U.S.
ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
Claiming officials are "already in discussions," the Beijing Times outlined an alleged plan for a train line that would connect China to the United States, via eastern Siberia, the Bering Strait and finally Alaska.
In theory, the train line would start in the northeast part of China, then eventually run along a 125-mile-long underwater tunnel toward Alaska. And, good news: "Russia has already been thinking about this for many years," Wang Mengshu, an engineer at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told the Times.
The plan currently sounds more like a Jules Verne novel than a viable project: For one, the proposed path underwater would be four times the length of the tunnel beneath the English Channel; For another, China seems to have forgotten that the U.S. would need to get onboard to make the project a reality; Perhaps most importantly right now, "Russia has already been thinking about this for many years," is not likely to be a strong selling point in Washington, D.C. at the moment.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then again, The Washington Post notes that China has focused much of its efforts in the last decade on completing rail construction projects of impressive scale. So dream big, Beijing, but maybe have a backup project that's a bit more feasible, you know, just in case.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 22, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - dystopian laughs, WNBA salaries, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published