by lpetrich
The proposal of a Bering Strait link makes me think about how far one can go by existing or proposed railroad lines.
In the Lower 48 on Amtrak, the greatest distances between major cities are Seattle - Miami (2700 mi / 4400 km) and San Diego - Portland, ME (2600 mi / 4200 km), both as the airplane flies (great-circle distances). The routes are:
Seattle - Empire Builder - Chicago - Capitol Limited - Washington, DC - Silver Celestial Object - Miami
(rather roundabout)
San Diego - Pacific Surfliner - Los Angeles - Southwest Chief - Chicago - Lake Shore Limited - Boston - Downeaster - Portland, ME
(close to a great circle)
Including Canada gives Prince Rupert - Halifax (3000 mi / 4800 km), Prince Rupert - Miami (3200 mi / 5200 km), and San Diego - Halifax (3000 mi, 4800 km). However, some of the routes are rather roundabout and significantly longer, as the the Seattle - Miami route is.
Including freight-only lines in Canada and Mexico gives the possibility of greater distances:
Fort Nelson, BC, CA (Canadian National) - Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, MX (Ferrocarril Transismitico; Ferrosur) (3300 mi / 5300 km)
There isn't much of a rail system to the south of that in Central America --isolated lines that are mostly abandoned. But if the Mexico-Panama FERISTSA line ever gets built, one can go to Panama City (4100 mi / 6600 km).
South America is somewhat better, with active railroad lines here and there, but no continentwide network.
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So we must turn elsewhere.
Turning to Australia, the greatest separation between passenger-rail-served cities is likely Perth, WA - Cairns, QLD (2100 mi / 3400 km), though the route follows Australia's south and east coasts and is 50% longer.
And in the mainland Old World, Africa is much like South America, with lots of isolated railroad lines without a continentwide network.
That leaves Eurasia, and there are railroad lines that span a large part of it. With currently-existing ones, the longest trip is Lisbon, Portugal - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (7100 mi, 11400 km). One can travel Portugal - Spain - France - Germany - Poland - Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - China - Vietnam.
The networks of India-Pakistan-Bangladesh, Burma, and Thailand are not connected to the main Eurasian network, but if they were, then it would be possible to go from Lisbon to Singapore (7400 mi / 11900 km).
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A Bering-Strait line from Yakutsk to Fort Nelson would make possible even longer journeys -- to Salina Cruz (11,000 mi / 18,000 km), and a bit less to Miami or Halifax. The distance of the latter town to Lisbon is 2800 mi / 4500 km across the Atlantic Ocean, though I doubt that anyone will ever build a transatlantic tunnel.
In the Lower 48 on Amtrak, the greatest distances between major cities are Seattle - Miami (2700 mi / 4400 km) and San Diego - Portland, ME (2600 mi / 4200 km), both as the airplane flies (great-circle distances). The routes are:
Seattle - Empire Builder - Chicago - Capitol Limited - Washington, DC - Silver Celestial Object - Miami
(rather roundabout)
San Diego - Pacific Surfliner - Los Angeles - Southwest Chief - Chicago - Lake Shore Limited - Boston - Downeaster - Portland, ME
(close to a great circle)
Including Canada gives Prince Rupert - Halifax (3000 mi / 4800 km), Prince Rupert - Miami (3200 mi / 5200 km), and San Diego - Halifax (3000 mi, 4800 km). However, some of the routes are rather roundabout and significantly longer, as the the Seattle - Miami route is.
Including freight-only lines in Canada and Mexico gives the possibility of greater distances:
Fort Nelson, BC, CA (Canadian National) - Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, MX (Ferrocarril Transismitico; Ferrosur) (3300 mi / 5300 km)
There isn't much of a rail system to the south of that in Central America --isolated lines that are mostly abandoned. But if the Mexico-Panama FERISTSA line ever gets built, one can go to Panama City (4100 mi / 6600 km).
South America is somewhat better, with active railroad lines here and there, but no continentwide network.
-
So we must turn elsewhere.
Turning to Australia, the greatest separation between passenger-rail-served cities is likely Perth, WA - Cairns, QLD (2100 mi / 3400 km), though the route follows Australia's south and east coasts and is 50% longer.
And in the mainland Old World, Africa is much like South America, with lots of isolated railroad lines without a continentwide network.
That leaves Eurasia, and there are railroad lines that span a large part of it. With currently-existing ones, the longest trip is Lisbon, Portugal - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (7100 mi, 11400 km). One can travel Portugal - Spain - France - Germany - Poland - Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - China - Vietnam.
The networks of India-Pakistan-Bangladesh, Burma, and Thailand are not connected to the main Eurasian network, but if they were, then it would be possible to go from Lisbon to Singapore (7400 mi / 11900 km).
-
A Bering-Strait line from Yakutsk to Fort Nelson would make possible even longer journeys -- to Salina Cruz (11,000 mi / 18,000 km), and a bit less to Miami or Halifax. The distance of the latter town to Lisbon is 2800 mi / 4500 km across the Atlantic Ocean, though I doubt that anyone will ever build a transatlantic tunnel.