The tunnel that promises to take you from the USA to Europe in just 1 hour

A 5,500-kilometer underwater tunnel connecting the United States and the United Kingdom in less than an hour’s journey seems impossible. But this idea, which is called the “Transatlantic Tunnel”, is a proposal that has been discussed for decades and has returned to the pages of several British tabloids in the last week due to technological advances and discussions about sustainable mobility.

With an estimated cost of around US$20 trillion, almost equivalent to the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of powers such as China, Japan and Germany, this ambitious megaproject promises to reduce the journey between New York and London, which currently takes around eight hours by plane, to just 54 minutes.

The proposal involves the construction of an underwater tunnel that would cross the Atlantic Ocean, connecting the east coast of the United States to the United Kingdom. Unlike other infrastructure projects, the so-called “Transatlantic Tunnel” would have futuristic characteristics: it would use trains powered by magnetic levitation technology, known as “vactrains”, which would operate in a near-vacuum environment, which would eliminate air resistance and it would allow trains to reach speeds between 6,400 km/h and 8,000 km/h. The journey between London and New York would be faster than a domestic flight within many countries.

Among the most studied proposals, the theory of a floating tunnel model stands out, submerged at a depth of around 49 meters and suspended by cables anchored to the ocean floor. Another idea considers a hybrid system that would alternate segments sitting on the ocean floor with suspended parts.

In addition to revolutionizing global transport, the British media claims that the project promises to be more sustainable than aviation, which, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), is one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions in the world. world. The tunnel could also strengthen trade and political relations between the US and the UK, cementing what many call a “special relationship” between the two nations.

The advantages do not come without challenges. The construction of a tunnel of this size is technically and economically monumental for our current reality. To give you an idea, the Eurotunnel, which runs under the English Channel and connects England to France, took six years to complete, is only 38 km long and cost around US$21 billion. Comparatively, the “Transatlantic Tunnel” would be almost 150 times longer and dozens of times more expensive.

Another challenge would be dealing with the depth of the Atlantic Ocean, which reaches more than 5,000 meters in some points, something that would present unprecedented challenges for modern engineering. The pressure exerted at these depths is so intense that even the most technological structures could face difficulties in withstanding it.

Another obstacle is the possible environmental impact. A project of this magnitude could disrupt sensitive marine ecosystems and even affect species that may be facing extinction. Furthermore, sea currents, the risk of earthquakes and the high cost of maintenance are factors that further complicate the tunnel’s viability.

While the tunnel concept is exciting, it may be a long way from becoming a reality. Currently, neither the US nor the UK government or private companies are willing to assume the costs and risks of such an undertaking.

However, smaller projects, such as the tunnel that should connect Spain to Morocco, that is, the European continent to the African continent, through the Strait of Gibraltar, are already being studied and could even be off the ground by 2030. According to the Spanish portal The Economistthis underwater tunnel is being planned to be around 27 kilometers long, 17 kilometers underwater, built at depths of up to 475 meters. If it gets off the ground, it will probably serve as a feasibility test for future larger underwater tunnels.