The Bering Express

This may sound like a pipe-dream, but how about a rail link between Alaska and Siberia (akin to the Eurostar train), with the train traveling through a tunnel akin to the the Chunnel? The question of track gauge would still have to be resolved, I realize that. However, I do not doubt that it could be.

The Chunnel works because there are millions of people living within a hundred miles on either side. There's not that many people living close to both sides of the Bering Strait, and that's why your proposal will never happen within your or my lifetime. Trains do need passengers after all to be valuable.

Umm - I'm not so sure about that. A Bering "Connector" might be a tourist magnet for Americans and Canadians wishing to visit Russia. As it is now, apparently there are times of year when I have heard that you can actually drive accross it, but a legitimate method of transportation such as a train might be acknowledged and used. I'd use it. Would love to see Russia. I guess the only current fly in the ointment would be the fact that eastern Russia is barren. However, as Russia is economically destitute, I'm sure that it would welcome tourists which would be their incentive to build something to see. Sounds like a win-win to me. Could have lunch with Sarah in Wasilla and dinner with Mona Demarkov in Magaden ! I'm packing !

3rdrail wrote:Umm - I'm not so sure about that. A Bering "Connector" might be a tourist magnet for Americans and Canadians wishing to visit Russia. As it is now, apparently there are times of year when I have heard that you can actually drive accross it, but a legitimate method of transportation such as a train might be acknowledged and used. I'd use it. Would love to see Russia. I guess the only current fly in the ointment would be the fact that eastern Russia is barren. However, as Russia is economically destitute, I'm sure that it would welcome tourists which would be their incentive to build something to see. Sounds like a win-win to me. Could have lunch with Sarah in Wasilla and dinner with Mona Demarkov in Magaden ! I'm packing !

Have you ever visited Alaska? There's not even a gravel road or freight railroad between Anchorage and Nome, yet you want to build a HSR line to nowhere? Dumb! How do you plan to catch your HSR under the Bering Strait? Fly to Nome? Might as well fly over the Bering Sea too.

yes that is the problem , lack of population , lack of freight traffic , and lack of connectivity to the rest of the USA .
First step would be a Railroad From Alaska to the rest of the USA , and even that may not be economically feasible .

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Russia/Asia and Alaska/North America on separate continental plates which are separating? Or otherwise moving? I don't see permanent infrastructure working here.

Anyways, as stated, there's clearly no market for passenger service here, and I highly doubt there ever will be... EVER.

Freight is the only possibility. How long does it take massive container ships take to go from China or Korea to the US? If we had a freight line running at 70MPH average through the Bering Strait, how long would that take?

Also, I think there's a new massive oil refinery and oil drilling area being assembled on Russia's east coast (and I mean MASSIVE). Perhaps we could have some really long trains of tankers hauling through Alaska.


But again, this would only work if Alaska was linked up with the country... Which frankly I'm surprised to see it isn't with all the oil, despite the harsh conditions of the winter...

Uhm... according to Google Maps, Beijing to Seattle by rail would be an estimated 5600 miles (I used lines as straight as possible and tried avoiding obvious mountain ranges. By sea is estimated at 6600 miles and I tried to be as direct as possible. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, or perhaps it just has to do with that arcing and weird stuff that happens in the higher latitudes, blah blah blah.

Yes, I acknowledge that it's a far-reaching idea, but it just has a ring of possibility should things change dramatically on a lot of different fronts. Another idea I had was to work out a deal with the Russians to explore and mine for oil fields which are probably plentiful in that Ice Age affected region that happens to be virgin. Russia seems to be our ally now, so how about them helping us flip the bird to the Saudis and start shipping petroleum into the U.S. from our own joint venture with the Russians through the "Bering Tunnel" ? (or a pipeline ?) Pardon if I offend, but the Russians don't seem to me to likely have legions of "protect the tundra" protestors at dig sites stopping production. They're too busy looking for their next meal. Might this not have a domino effect where the train leads to the oil refineries that leads to new cities in eastern Russia that leads to tourism that leads to us pumping gas for $2 per gallon ? (Oh, what I wouldn't give to see the looks on the faces of those billionaire sheiks when they were told that they just lost their biggest customer ! hahaha!!! )

Urbey - you're in China ! Come up northeast about 5,000 miles to the Bering Strait ! (Pick me up some mushi shrimp while you're there !)

There is Japan of c ourse , but thats not connected to Russia either .

steamal wrote:This may sound like a pipe-dream, but how about a rail link between Alaska and Siberia (akin to the Eurostar train), with the train traveling through a tunnel akin to the the Chunnel? The question of track gauge would still have to be resolved, I realize that. However, I do not doubt that it could be.

If the Chinese want it, it will be built. Otherwise, not.

The climate situation is rapidly deteriorating so I don't think the situation of building such a link is at all likely. We need vast amounts of capital for building a new energy system.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... NTCMP=SRCH

I saw a special on this on the Discovery Channel a few years back - I've also read articles in Popular Science that showed it's *possible*. One of the components of the connection has always been pipelines, to bring in oil and gas from Russia. That would be what would 'pay the freight' initially until overland freight (most likely from China) would become an increasing revenue generator.

The Bering Express Discussion has been posted onto our Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/RailroadNet
Come and discuss your thoughts on this topic!

I have no faith in such a project being successful based on the water problems and resulting corrosion found at the "Big dig" in Boston. I doubt anyone could build a tunnel to go that great of a distance. It would collapse upon itself before completion

toolmaker wrote:I have no faith in such a project being successful based on the water problems and resulting corrosion found at the "Big dig" in Boston. I doubt anyone could build a tunnel to go that great of a distance. It would collapse upon itself before completion

The Bering Strait is six miles wide. How wide is the English Channel? Also, in response to another opinion that has been voiced on here: A railroad does not necessarily need passengers to survive. Most of the Class I railroads in the US seem to survive without passengers. And the first railroad traffic EVER was freight, with passengers as an afterthought.

steamal wrote:The Bering Strait is six miles wide. How wide is the English Channel? Also, in response to another opinion that has been voiced on here: A railroad does not necessarily need passengers to survive. Most of the Class I railroads in the US seem to survive without passengers. And the first railroad traffic EVER was freight, with passengers as an afterthought.

True. But I'll ask would the Chunnel had been built without relatively high fares from passenger trains?
At the Chunnel, there had been and are still ferries to gauge the amount of traffic - both passengers and freight. The historic traffic between Siberia and Alaska doesn't exist.

No one spends $Billions on what might be, they spend $Billions on what is.