Just played it today. I’m not sure when they will replay it. I saw the first 30 minutes of it and recorded the entire show. They showed how a rail connection between Alaska and Russia would be built if it ever was done. They would assemble sections of rectangular tube on the floor of the sea instead of boring under the sea. I tried to find a link but was unsuccessfull.
I’m certainly not holding my breath thinking this will happen in my lifetime. The proposal is nothing new and neither is the Discovery Channel’s program – it was originally broadcast a year or so ago and resulted in a discussion on these forums back then, too.
There are several major problems with this proposal, not the least of which is the cost. The Bering Strait is one of the Earth’s major tectonic plate fault zones. Once you cross to Siberia, you have hundreds of miles of permafrost to cross before you reach any sign of civilization other than a couple of small native villages.
Even a bridge has been proposed over the years, but has never gotten beyond the pipe dream stage.
Maybe Sara Palin has the answer. After all she can see Russia from her living room.
A Bering Strait Tunnel is at least more technically feasible then the Bering Strait Bridge featured in an earlier episode of that series, not to mention the Transatlantic Tunnel depicted in a third episode.
IIRC, a couple of years back there was a Russian Oil magnate who claimed he would finance such a tunnel but it seems that it was more of a P.R stunt than an actual proposal…
The Bering Straights are one of the mose dangerous pieces of water in the world. Bad storms, cold weather and unpredictable currents. I think a bridge would be out of the question. A tunnel similar to the “Chunnel” under the English Channel would be the corssing of choice. The technology is proven and it is not very far accross the straights at is narrowest point, something like 50 mils if I remember correctly.
I think the “Bering Strait Tunnel” is feasable and do-able, and would be a neat project. As far as the seismic activity goes, they build subways and tunnels in California, don’t they? Of course, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (read: the United States) would have to get involved in the ‘gifting’ process. “Standard-gauging” the Russian railways would be a priority, although they do interchange with western Europe without much hassle (changing trucks at the border). Maybe the Russians are still worried about being invaded. Dunno, fur sure. If the governments’ involvement could be kept to a minimum, it might work. Gotta stop, before I get too political…
Hays
The bigger problem with this scheme is building the rail links on either side of the straight, although I have read that the Russians are planning on building into the area on their side irrespective of the tunnel project.
I am a little dubious that the project could be completed with private money, and I also would guess that the Russian geovernment would be heavily involved, even if the consortium tries to minimize US Federal involvement.
As far as the exising Russsian rail network, it probably won’t be been rebuilt to 4’8’’ due to cost factors, the Discovery Channel mentioned dual gauge or adjustable gauge rolling stock, though I don’t know how technically feasible that would be for heavy freight cars…
Politicians have all said stupid things, “I wasn’t drunk” and “I thought Mary Jo got out” comes to mind, and lets not even talk about Biden.
[:-^]