The concept of a tunnel connecting Britain and the United States has long been a visionary idea in the realm of futuristic infrastructure.
At an eye-watering price tag of around $19.8 trillion (£15.6 trillion), this project would be the ultimate expression of ambition, bridging the 3,400-mile gap between the two nations and solidifying the historic “special relationship” they share.
While the current flight from London to New York takes roughly eight hours, advocates of the tunnel dream of cutting these long-haul journeys down to mere “commutes,” making transatlantic travel a quick, everyday affair.
The idea, which first emerged more than a century ago, calls for an undersea passage stretching across parts of the Atlantic Ocean, some sections of which are several miles deep. To give a sense of scale, the Channel Tunnel, which connects England and France and is just 23.5 miles long, took six years to complete.
Various approaches have been suggested to make this Transatlantic Tunnel a reality, including placing it beneath the ocean floor, floating it at the surface, or even combining both methods. One particularly imaginative plan proposes a floating tunnel that would hover about 49 meters below the water, built from pre-fabricated segments and held in place by strong cables.
This groundbreaking concept envisions a system where trains could seamlessly travel across continents, bypassing the intense pressures of the deep ocean and avoiding maritime dangers. It’s widely believed that this system would be designed for trains rather than cars, as car trips would take several days and require additional infrastructure for drivers. According to the Mirror, Vactrains could, in theory, reach speeds up to 5,000mph.
Such speeds would cut the journey time from London to New York City to a mere 54 minutes. Jet propulsion has also been proposed as a method to accelerate the carriages at these incredible speeds, though it would require an 18-minute deceleration phase after reaching top speed to ensure a safe arrival.
Despite the astronomical costs and logistical hurdles of this concept, no serious plans are currently on the table by governments on either side of the Atlantic. While a transatlantic tunnel may seem far-fetched for now, progress is being made on a tunnel connecting Europe and Africa.
Earlier this year, reports indicated that a new underwater tunnel might be completed linking Spain and Morocco by the end of this decade.
The Moroccan National Company for Strait Studies (SNED) has announced that they are assessing the feasibility of a new project, both financially and logistically. The proposed tunnel would span 17 miles underwater, reaching depths of up to 475 meters, connecting Punta Paloma, located west of Tarifa, with Malabata, situated just east of Tangier in northern Morocco.
This plan contrasts with the 23-mile underwater section of the Channel Tunnel, which reaches a depth of only 75 meters. While the exact cost of constructing the two tunnels connecting Europe and Africa is still unknown, some estimates suggest it could total around £6 billion, factoring in the construction of a third maintenance tunnel.
The idea of a tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar has been around for 40 years, and it’s considered a key strategic project for Spain, Morocco, Europe, and Africa.
