Obviously you would connect to the North American network at the best eastern most point with a conventional railroad to the tunnel/bridge entrance
There’s no railroads even remotely close to the Bering Strait on the Asian side.
That sure isn’t Newfoundland (with apologies to Lady Firestorm) and hasn’t been for many years. Although I suppose you’d save considerably on construction expense building the thing in narrow gauge…
Killjoy!
(But if the USSR could build the BAM, they could surely run a line north from the Trans-Siberian to the area in question…)
Just think of all the water they could bring to California!! [}:)]
While they’re at it, they could build across the jungle of no return to connect the Americas by rail.
Then there’s FastShip. What would world trade look like today had that idea sailed?
The major impetus for the last Alaska rail link was to haul Canadian tar sand oil, but all the major oil companies have gotten out of the oil sands.
or on the North American side, if we’re being honest about it.
Siberia has lots of timber that could be harvested if the Russians could ever get their ducks in a row. That trade would move better worldwide on ships sailing from Vladivostok.
To be fair. Fairbanks Alaska is alot closer to the Bering Strait than Yakutsk(Where the current RZD network terminates)in the Sahka(Yakutia)Republic.
Assuming a point between Wales AK, and Uelen CAO(Chukotka Autonomous Okrug).
Fairbanks-Wales 580mi as the crow flies.
Yakutsk-Uelen 1765mi…
Truth be told a rail connection isn’t needed. Nor would the low amount of traffic justify such a project. They’d be better off building and using ice roads across the Bering Strait. When the ice thaws use a Ro-Ro Ferry. Or… Use a hovercraft year round to conduct trade. Then again using a hovercraft would require a cost study as well. They consume alot of fuel and require pretty consistent operation to justify their cost of operation…[8-|]
The Bering Strait is located well within the North American plate. Plate tectonics wouldn’t be an issue. Geopolitical “tectonics” certainly would.
We seem to be having a series of posts concerning highly improbable future occurrences: this one, one about transporting water by rail and the revival of cattle transport by rail. What’s next, a rail tunnel to Newfoundland? To Cuba?
The nice part about a theoretical discussion is that virtually no one can be right or wrong… One idea is as good (or bad) as any other.
Can this new rail line connect to a revitalized Milwaukee Road PCE?[:-^]
I see no problem there… Call it the Moscow & Milwaukee. Bring over some of that sanctioned Russian barley for Milwaukee’s Best…
Aside from the sarcasm Russia is the #1 producer of barley.
A Montana YouTube farm channel I watch had a less than desired barley harvest because of drought and hail damage to the crop.
THe “Chunnel” was also once thought to be impractle and improbable.
And a rail line from China to Tibet.
If the Russians do get smart, get fed-up with useless dreams of empire, and resolve to live peacefully among the nations, they would probably be a very major trade partner with both the USA and Canada.
The tunnel or bridge just might make econiomic sense.
Back when the USSR first collapsed, there was a guy proposing that the US should buy or long-term lease Siberia from Russia. The idea was the US could invest in the area to set up infrastructure (roads, railroads) to exploit Siberia’s vast natural resources, and the US and Russia would split the profits.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-26-op-5233-story.html
Considering who is running Russia these days, I am surprised he didn’t want to repatriate Alaska instead of Ukraine.
Some of the wilder wackjobs have called for the “liberation” of Alaska and its return to da Rodina.