Imagine being able to reach New York from London in just one hour.
That fever dream could one day be possible after a proposal to build a 3,000-mile trans-Atlantic train tunnel connecting the cities resurfaced online.
The proposal isn’t new, but it was once considered impossible due to the length and amount of money needed to construct it.
Elon Musk has also chimed in on the idea – writing on X that his company, The Boring Company, could complete a transatlantic tunnel for ‘1000 times less money’.
Recent developments in technology ranging from vacuum tube technologies and pressurised vehicles mean the journey could eventually become reality, albeit with a large price tag.
Estimates of the construction costs of a tunnel running through the Atlantic Ocean have topped £15 trillion.
If the ideas for the project eventually go forward, it could mean Londoners could hop on a train to New York and get across the pond in just one hour.
It could also be more environmentally friendly and cut down on heavy air pollution created by air travel.
The proposed trains would travel through pressurised tunnels where, with no wind resistance, they could reach speeds of 3,000mph.
The technology is similar to that of superloop trains, which Swiss engineers trialled and claimed could ‘change the future of travel.
Several different providers have tried – and failed – to develop hyperloop technology over the years.
Some of the obstacles include maintaining the vacuum system, capsule propulsion systems, scalability, safety and economic viability among others.
A comparable structure to the proposed underwater train tunnels, but much less high-tech, is the Channel Tunnel, which links the UK and France.
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Even though it’s less than 40 miles long, it took six years to construct.
Some engineers have suggested building the proposed Atlantic tunnel beneath the thick ocean floor, while others believe suspending it with cables or stilts would be preferable.
The Channel Tunnel only reaches 245 feet below the surface, but the proposed trans-Atlantic train could go much deeper.
Similar ideas for underwater tunnels first emerged in the 1800s.
In 1802, French mining engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed an idea for a tunnel between France and England, lit by oil lamps and even mentioning an artificial island between the channels to ‘change horses’.
The Chunnel isn’t pressurised, however, and contrary to popular belief, it actually allows water to leak in before pumping it away.
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