Posted on 03/28/2008 5:13:26 PM PDT by dynachrome
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has fuelled talk of a massive tunnel between Europe and America by forking out $160 MLN on the worlds largest drill. The 19-metre giant will be the first drill capable of boring a four-lane tunnel. The project would link Russias far eastern Chutoka region, which Abramovich governs, with Americas Alaska.
The tunnel was first mooted by the Tsars and then in the 1990s, but both times it was dumped because of high costs.
President Vladimir Putin is said to back the latest idea, as it would open up lucrative freight routes from Europe and allow Russian gas to be easily exported.
The giant drill will dwarf the current record-holder a 15 metre Chinese drill being used for a Yangtze tunnel.
(Excerpt) Read more at russiatoday.ru ...
Is this an April fool story? :)
Its a long way but if it could be built I suspect there would be lots of economic development on both ends of it. Personally I would go with a train tunnel.
I think we best not hold our breath waiting for this one.
Its a long way but if it could be built I suspect there would be lots of economic development on both ends of it. Personally I would go with a train tunnel.
We shouldn’t allow this.
Next thing you know we’ll be getting illegal immigrants from Russia sneaking in.
We’ve got enough illegals as it is.
It’s only 9 miles between the Diomedes Islands. Big Diomede is Russian, Little Diomede is American. In the winter, the ocean often freezes, and the people can walk or drive between the islands. Is it known if that is the planned route?
I didn’t see a route at the link.
Chunnel 2.0?
Yes btu they'd be russian single females looking for a better class of husband than your typical russian male.
Russian officials have expressed new confidence over building a tunnel under the sea to link eastern Siberia and the US state of Alaska. But is it really viable?
The dream of linking the American and Eurasian land-masses at their closest point - 40 km of sea in the Bering Straits - has been around for a long time.
But the idea dropped out of sight, perhaps for obvious reasons.
![]() The tunnel would link remote parts of Russia and Alaska
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On the US side there are settlements along the stretch of coast facing Russia, but they are not connected with the rest of Alaska by either road or rail. The nearest main road is at Fairbanks, almost 1,000km away, and Alaska has no rail connections at all with Canada or the rest of the United States.
On the Russian side the situation is even worse. The nearest road of any sort is about 1,500km from the straits, near the city of Magadan.
![]() The idea is bound to capture the imagination of at least some of the more romantic entrepreneurs in North America ![]() |
Severe weather conditions and difficult terrain - including permafrost regions, mountains and summer swamps - would make building overland links very difficult and expensive.
Add to that the normal technical and geological complications of building long tunnels and one is faced with certainly the most ambitious and expensive tunneling project ever undertaken.
![]() The tunnel would be longer than the one under the English Channel
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But the man who has been the Russia-US tunnel's most enthusiastic backer, Viktor Razbegin, director of a Transport project centre in Moscow, admits that for geological reasons the tunnel would have to be much longer than the present Channel linking France and England.
Nonetheless, he suggests, there is real enthusiasm, and potentially money, for the project on the Russian side.
But would there be any chance of winning major investment in America.
![]() Although the region is one of the very poorest in the Russian Federation, there lie under its soil rich deposits of oil, gold and coal ![]() |
Yet most are likely to be put off by the sheer size of the enterprise, and severe doubts about the returns. Would the amount of traffic through such a tunnel generate revenues remotely sufficient to repay investment in it?
One Russian who may think it would is the new governor of Chukotka, Roman Abramovich.
![]() Russian rail links stop far short of the remote tunnel zone
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He knows that although the region is one of the very poorest in the Russian Federation, rich deposits of oil, gold and coal lie under its soil.
With sufficient investment it could become, literally, a goldmine. Roman Abramovich certainly thinks so. And that may be one reason for Viktor Razbegin's confidence that the tunnel idea has a future.
The rest of the world, however, may need a lot of convincing.
“best not hold our breath”
Probably, but what do ya do with a 19 metre drill?
Not that I am aware of. Do the russians have an April 1st tradition?
Have you ever worked with Russians? I would bet big money that Russian illegal immigrants would bring a helluva lot more skill than the Latins currently do. Most Russians are simply amazing.
They’re weird too.
Russian humor makes Australians look like dry sourpusses.
Mmmmm, trapped in the tunnel when Mohammed detonates his little suicide car-bomb. First exploded, then drowned.
No thanks. Can you imagine the friggin security to drive through this thing? You think TSA at the airports is fun?
Great, a tunnel connecting two places no one wants to go.
This should make it easier for the US to annex Siberia.
There are LOTS of Russians here in Wasilla. In my neighborhood alone, there are about half a dozen families. They mostly keep to themselves--hard to get to know.
So how many underground nuclear bunkers has this built in russia and the middle east?
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