China mulls high-speed train to US - China Daily (*With maps)

[realizm]

 
Photo taken on June 27, 2013 shows China's first intelligent high-speed test train produced by CSR Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd waits to be tested in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province. China is considering building a high-speed railway across the Siberia and Bering Strait to Alaska, across Canada to the US. In not so distant future, people can take the train from China to the US. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is considering building a high-speed railway across the Siberia and Bering Strait to Alaska, across Canada to the US. In not so distant future, people can take the train from China to the US, according to Beijing Times Thursday citing Wang Mengshu, a railway expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The proposed journey will start from China's northeast region, cross Siberia to Bering Strait, and run across the Pacific Ocean by undersea tunnel to reach Alaska, from Alaska to Canada, then on to its final destination, the US. To cross Bering Strait will require approximately 200km undersea tunnel, the technology, which is already in place will also be used on Fujian to Taiwan high-speed railway tunnel. The project will be funded and constructed by China. The details of this project are yet to be finalized.

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I've done some quick research and found a couple of goodies as seen below.

Map of Chinese proposal.It is to link with Russian rails, then to the Chinese and Japanese rail networks towards its final destination:
 

 
Cross Section of the Bering Strait tubes: 
 

 
This new railroad link has been considered for years. Russia in the past also considered a cross pacific rail link similar to China's proposal as seen here by this map. Russia has since shelved the plans but China is considering picking up where Russia left off:
 


Alaskan realignment of rail lines to be considered o the US end of the mega-project:
 

[realizm]

I'll have to give China credit, I think this is a brilliant move on the part of Chinese engineers to actually consider a rail network connecting Eurasia and North America, and actually start to procure funding to build it! Something previously thought as impossible - until now. The key here are TBMs similar to what was used on our Second Ave Subway but much more technologically advanced. The advanced TBMs of its type was already tried and tested in other mega-projects and will now be used here. The tunnel will literally be drilled through under the Bering Strait, under the ocean into Russia and China. Man, my hairs went on edge upon reading this. I never thought this was even possible until I stumbled upon this one and did the research realizing that Eurasia was actually considering this for decades.

[Tokkemon]

Waste of time and money when airplanes can go faster and more efficiently (read: more directly across the ocean as opposed to around it).

[realizm]

They do have high speed trains in Europe and Asia that can reach almost 400 MPH in tests. So this may be feasible and a good investment that can bring back excellent revenue. This is something to be considered. The technology exists.

 

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/alstom-agv-very-high-speed-trains-france/

 

So this may be a good compliment to the current aviation services that are offered to connect the two continents. This could mean a major economic boom for major US states such as Washington and California let alone Alaska.

 

http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature-top-ten-fastest-trains-in-the-world/

 

"AGV Italo

 

AGV Italo is the first train in the AGV Series which entered into service in April 2012. It has a maximum operational speed of 360kmph.

The train broke a record speed of 574.8kmph in April 2007.

 

Considered to be the most modern train in Europe, AGV Italo was built by Alstom. The train currently runs on the Napoli - Roma - Firenze - Bologna - Milano corridor.

 

The train complies with the European TSI interoperability standard, which includes safety, reliability and availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility."

 

So improvements are steadily being made in high speed rail by leaps and bounds. This is why they are making heavy investments on such technology across the Atlantic and Pacific alike.

[theaveragejoe]

What are the Chinese smoking, this will never recover the cost that it will take to build and maintain.

[GojiMet86]

Assuming that this all goes to exist (most likely won't), I wonder what gauge would be preferred.

[theaveragejoe]

Assuming that this all goes to exist (most likely won't), I wonder what gauge would be preferred.

 

 

That is the other thing! The Chinese always talk crap like this

[realizm]

That is the other thing! The Chinese always talk crap like this

 

What are the Chinese smoking, this will never recover the cost that it will take to build and maintain.

 

Hate to be brutally honest then but what are we doing right here in the states with our railroads? We are stuck in the 20th century which is a crying shame! We cant even build a ARC tunnel to connect NY to NJ!

 

So I stand by the fact that I have to give China due praise for these advancements. Marijuana is illegal in China btw so I would imagine they aint smokin nothing.

[theaveragejoe]

 

Hate to be brutally honest then but what are we doing right here in the states with our railroads? We are stuck in the 20th century which is a crying shame! We cant even build a ARC tunnel to connect NY to NJ!

 

So I stand by the fact that I have to give China due praise for these advancements. Marijuana is illegal in China btw so I would imagine they aint smokin nothing.

 

 

This will never happen as the Chinese, Russians , Canadians and the Americans will never be able to agree on this project even if it got off the ground.

[realizm]

This will never happen as the Chinese, Russians , Canadians and the Americans will never be able to agree on this project even if it got off the ground.

Fair enough. A definite monkey in the wrench has to do with political tensions between Russia and the US due to the apparent stalemate in the Ukraine. Even as the latest news being that President Putin is pulling his troops back from the Ukrainian border. The political will between countries may be lacking.

[theaveragejoe]

Fair enough. A definite monkey in the wrench has to do with political tensions between Russia and the US due to the apparent stalemate in the Ukraine. Even as the latest news being that President Putin is pulling his troops back from the Ukrainian border. The political will between countries may be lacking.

 

 

Also no way that the USA and Canada will let the Chinese or the Russians run a railway on this side of the ocean.

 

This just sounds like smoke to get more people to invest into chinese rail builders and rolling stock companies.

[realizm]

While I wasn't intending to get into a discussion on political diplomacy, as much as I am just as astute on politics as you are, I guess your perspective on this is valid.

 

My particular interest in the article lies in construction techniques for such a line, how the high speed rail cars will run, and geographic factors to overcome to construct the line.

 

In other words the science behind such a project if it was ever to become a reality. Besides one cannot predict with a certainty how diplomatic relations could improve in the next ten years lets say.

[bobtehpanda]

The project makes no sense from a cost benefit standpoint, mainly because there wouldn't really be anything of value on the route itself; eastern Russia and central Alaska, as well as the Canadian interior are all sparsely populated areas. The geology and climate are also very unforgiving for any poor construction workers who get shipped up there, and no one knows if modern TBMs can survive that sort of climate;  in fact, we barely have a handle on TBM quality now, since the one building the highway tunnel in Seattle broke down after digging out a thousand feet. China certainly does not produce TBMs of that quality (most TBMs are sourced from Germany).

 

I'd like to point out that this should be taken with a grain silo's worth of salt, since China has also proposed, among other things, linking Taiwan to the mainland, and linking Japan through North and South Korea.

[qjtransitmaster]

Yes ohh yes DO IT CHINA DO IT DO IT!!! These guys ain't playing around no words to describe the awesome.

[traingoat]

Nice pipedream but not practical. Russia uses a different track gauge than anyone else. You are running tunnels in major earthquake zones. Alaska railroad has enough knowledge of the problems with rock slides , quakes and snow. As a learning design project its a great teaching tool but financially its a bust unless heavy freight is run also which you don't have.

[Missabassie]

See, look at this... China is in the game!

The US needs to get its head out of its ass and make a serious push towards rail.