A road from New York to Europe is usually the stuff of science fiction, but Russian Railways thinks it has an idea to make it a reality.
Russian Railways chief Vladimir Yakunin showed off the plans during a meeting at the Russian Academy of Science, reports The Siberian Times. He calls it the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), which would link existing transportation systems to make it a reality.
TEPR would feature a new train network along the Trans-Siberian Railway, along with major roads along the route.
Yakunin’s plan doesn’t include a bridge over the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, New Yorkers would drive west, over a link between Alaska and Russia. They would continue driving across the entirety of Russia, then through all of Europe, before reaching a bridge over the English Channel to London. This way, it makes Russia a vital player on the world stage, Yakunin noted.
“This is an inter-state, inter-civilization, project. It should be an alternative to the current (neo-liberal) model, which has caused a systemic crisis,” Yakunin said. “The project should be turned into a world 'future zone,' and it must be based on leading, not catching, technologies.”
CNN calculated that the drive from London to Alaska would cover 8,064 miles. The link between Alaska and Russia would be at Nome, Alaska. However, there’s no link between Nome and the Alaska road system.
Once TEPR links people to Fairbanks, Alaska, drivers will be able to drive through Canada and down to the 48 contiguous U.S. states.
It’s not clear who would pay for such an insane idea, but it could cost “trillions.” But Yakunin is so confident that the economic positives would make up for the cost.