Ambitious vision amid trade war: 13,000km UNDERWATER China-US bullet train! Dream or distant reality?

After mind-blowing economic success and the bold Belt and Road Initiative that connects China to Europe through Central and West Asia, Beijing may begin work on its proposed underwater rail project connecting the mainland city of Beijing to the US. The ambitious 13,000-kilometer high-speed rail line, dubbed the "China-Russia-Canada-America" line, connecting mainland China to the US via an underwater tunnel across the Bering Strait, may materialize despite the ongoing trade war. 

Beijing to Alaska through Siberia, Eastern Russia, Canada

The project, estimated to cost $200 billion, is expected to connect Beijing to Alaska through Siberia, Eastern Russia, and Canada. Its underwater section will span about 200 kilometers beneath the Bering Strait. Four times longer than the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France, it is one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever conceived.

As it is proposed, the rail link would begin in Northeast China, cut through Siberia and Eastern Russia, cross the Bering Strait via an underwater tunnel into Alaska, keep on moving through the Yukon and British Columbia provinces of Canada, and reach the continental U.S. It will be longer than the Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest rail line at present. 

Can China make this engineering marvel?

Though it will be an engineering marvel when completed, China has the experience of constructing a high-speed train system. Besides, the 77km Ningbo-Zhoushan project with a 16.2 km undersea section may be the foundation of underwater rail construction technology. The project is most likely to be completed in 2025. Secondly, megaprojects like the 55-km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and Tibet’s Lhasa-Nyingchi bullet train have proved beyond doubt Beijing's engineering prowess and infrastructure investment.

Though the project was announced in 2014, it still hangs fire. It came under scathing criticism for several reasons, including geopolitical cooperation among China, Russia, and the U.S. However, there are strained relations between the U.S. and China.

Project under criticism

The project came under criticism for economic reasons as well. Flights between China and the US will be cheaper than a $200 billion rail line, especially considering the low population density in Siberia and Alaska. However, the project will fulfill the much-needed link between the two countries. Also, it will complement the $900 billion BRI project. 

The project has been criticized also for environmental reasons. Construction across the Bering Strait may prove dangerous because of its fragile ecosystem. Besides, the Strait is much deeper and the climate is extremely harsh, making the construction work very difficult.