Sunday Times 2
China considers building a rail link to America
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.
Ambitious plans: The 8,000-mile high-speed link would begin in north east China and end up in the US
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 have 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.
The country has constructed the world’s longest bullet train network with more than 6,200 miles of routes in service.
In 2012, they opened the world’s longest high-speed link between Beijing and Guangzhou.
The 1,428-mile trip had previously taken 24 hours, but trains travelling at 168mph cut the journey to a mere eight.
In January, plans for a multi-billion dollar international connection out of the US to Mexico were announced.
Plans suggested the 300-mile route would link San Antonio, Texas, to Monterrey, Mexico – slashing the journey time from five hours by car to under two hours.
In 2011, a $65billion tunnel between Siberia and Alaska was given the go-ahead in an effort to bridge the Bering Strait.
© Daily Mail, London