In what could be one of the biggest tunnelling projects ever proposed, the Russian’s have a plan to develop a rail tunnel under the Bering Strait that divides Alaska and Russia.
The 112km rail and cargo link, while very much only at idea stage, was raised at a recent meeting between the US and Russian envoys.
Reuters have quoted the meeting, even dubbing it the “Putin-Trump” rail tunnel to link the countries and “unlock joint exploration of natural resources and “symbolise unity”.
Putin’s investment envoy and head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev is quoted as saying the project would cost as little as $8 billion but more probably in the USD $65 billion range, with funding to come from Russia and “international partners”
The war in the Ukraine and strained international relations and sanctions against Russia however remain a major impediment to any partnership. Despite this Reuters reported Trump calling the project ‘interesting’ at a recent meeting in Washington despite the objections of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the press conference.
“The dream of a US–Russia link via the Bering Strait reflects an enduring vision — from the 1904 Siberia–Alaska railway to Russia’s 2007 plan. RDIF has studied existing proposals, including the US–Canada–Russia–China railroad, and will support the most viable,” Dmitriev wrote on social media
Dmitriev has also flagged the possibility of major US companies build the tunnel including The Boring Company, a U.S. tunnel construction company owned by Elon Musk.
