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.
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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.
Despite its length being under 40 miles, it took six years to build.
A number of engineers have proposed constructing the planned Atlantic tunnel underneath the dense ocean bed, whereas others think that hanging it using cables or supports might be a better approach.
The Channel Tunnel extends merely 245 feet beneath the surface; however, the suggested trans-Atlantic railway might delve significantly further down.
Comparable concepts for submarine passages initially surfaced in the 19th century.
In 1802, the French mining engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed suggested a concept for a tunnel linking France and England Illuminated by oil lamps and even referencing an artificial island between the waterways for 'changing horses.'
The Chunnel is not pressurized; in fact, it contradicts common belief because it lets water seep in first before pumping it out.
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