Russia 'plans to link Europe and US by rail'
LONDON: London to New York by train? Well, it may seem unbelievable, but if Russia's plans to link Europe and the US by rail materialises, it
In fact, dreams of travelling from London to New York by train were evoked after the state-run Russian Railways has pledged a crucial tunnel linking the country to North America will be "feasible" in 10 years, the 'Sunday Express' reported.
Vladimir Yakunin, the President of Russian Railways and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's close confidant, said that the aim was to connect more than half of the planet by train.
He said American investors had already approached him about boring a 64-mile tunnel under the famous Bering Sea that separates Asia and North America. "We are the promoters of an West-East corridor. There'll soon be renaissance of railways."
Though the 9,000-mile train journey could take up to three weeks, it will definitely be one of the world's most exhilarating trips.
In fact, its crowning glory would be the much longed-for tunnel under the Bering Sea, a project first dreamt up by Tsar Nicholas II a century ago and which would unify the two Cold War enemies at a cost of some 10 billion pounds.
Yakunin said engineers had been looking at the 31-mile Channel Tunnel as the template although the new venture would face far greater challenges including boring through the two islands in the middle of the straits.
He said: "We are very interested in the technology of Channel Tunnel and we are looking at the possibility of a tunnel under the Bering Sea.
"Already some representatives from some funds in the United States have come to me about my ambition to run trains from Russia to the US. We could link up half the world. It's possible and it may be feasible within 10 years." PTI MOT
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