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pulasthi · Just Starting Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 1

Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska (Update4)

By Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook

April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.

The project, which Russia is coordinating with the U.S. and Canada, would take 10 to 15 years to complete, Viktor Razbegin, deputy head of industrial research at the Russian Economy Ministry, told reporters in Moscow today. State organizations and private companies in partnership would build and control the route, known as TKM-World Link, he said.

A 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) transport corridor from Siberia into the U.S. will feed into the tunnel, which at 64 miles will be more than twice as long as the underwater section of the Channel Tunnel between the U.K. and France, according to the plan. The tunnel would run in three sections to link the two islands in the Bering Strait between Russia and the U.S.

``This will be a business project, not a political one,'' Maxim Bystrov, deputy head of Russia's agency for special economic zones, said at the media briefing. Russian officials will formally present the plan to the U.S. and Canadian governments next week, Razbegin said.

The Bering Strait tunnel will cost $10 billion to $12 billion, and the rest of the investment will be spent on the entire transport corridor, the plan estimates.

``The project is a monster,'' Yevgeny Nadorshin, chief economist with Trust Investment Bank in Moscow, said in an interview. ``The Chinese are crying out for our commodities and willing to finance the transport links, and we're sending oil to Alaska.''

In Alaska, a supporter of the project is former Governor Walter Joseph Hickel, who plans to co-chair a conference on the subject in Moscow next week.

``Governor Hickel has long supported this concept, and he talks about it and writes about it,'' said Malcolm Roberts, a senior fellow at the Anchorage-based Institute of the North, a research policy group focused on Arctic issues. Hickel governed Alaska from 1966 to 1969 as a Republican and then from 1990 to 1994 as a member of the Independence Party.

Alaska's current officials, however, are preoccupied with other issues, including a plan to develop a pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the lower 48 U.S. states, Roberts said.

The U.S. government's Federal Railroad Administration isn't directly involved in talks about the link, agency spokesman Warren Flatau said today.

Finance Agencies

Tsar Nicholas II, Russia's last emperor, was the first Russian leader to approve a plan for a tunnel under the Bering Strait, in 1905, 38 years after his grandfather sold Alaska to America for $7.2 million. World War I ended the project.

The planned undersea tunnel would contain a high-speed railway, highway and pipelines, as well as power and fiber-optic cables, according to TKM-World Link. Investors in the so-called public-private partnership include OAO Russian Railways, national utility OAO Unified Energy System and pipeline operator OAO Transneft, according to a press release which was handed out at the media briefing and bore the companies' logos.

Russia and the U.S. may each eventually take 25 percent stakes, with private investors and international finance agencies as other shareholders, Razbegin said. ``The governments will act as guarantors for private money,'' he said.

The World Link will save North America and Far East Russia $20 billion a year on electricity costs, said Vasily Zubakin, deputy chief executive officer of OAO Hydro OGK, Unified Energy's hydropower unit and a potential investor.

Transport Electricity

``It's cheaper to transport electricity east, and with our unique tidal resources, the potential is real,'' Zubakin said. Hydro OGK plans by 2020 to build the Tugurskaya and Pendzhinskaya tidal plants, each with capacity of as much as 10 gigawatts, in the Okhotsk Sea, close to Sakhalin Island.

The project envisions building high-voltage power lines with a capacity of up to 15 gigawatts to supply the new rail links and also export to North America.

Russian Railways is working on the rail route from Pravaya Lena, south of Yakutsk in the Sakha republic, to Uelen on the Bering Strait, a 3,500 kilometer stretch. The link could carry commodities from eastern Siberia and Sakha to North American export markets, said Artur Alexeyev, Sakha's vice president.

The two regions hold most of Russia's metal and mineral reserves ``and yet only 1.5 percent of it is developed due to lack of infrastructure and tough conditions,'' Alexeyev said.

Cluster Projects

Rail links in Russia and the U.S., where an almost 2,000- kilometer stretch from Angora to Fort Nelson in Canada would continue the route, would cost up to $15 billion, Razbegin said. With cargo traffic of as much as 100 million tons annually expected on the World Link, the investments in the rail section could be repaid in 20 years, he said.

``The transit link is that string on which all our industrial cluster projects could hang,'' Zubakin said.

Japan, China and Korea have expressed interest in the project, with Japanese companies offering to burrow the tunnel under the Bering Strait for $60 million a kilometer, half the price set down in the project, Razbegin said.

``This will certainly help to develop Siberia and the Far East, but better port infrastructure would do that too and not cost $65 billion,'' Trust's Nadorshin said. ``For all we know, the U.S. doesn't want to make Alaska a transport hub.''

The figures for the project come from a preliminary feasibility study. A full study could be funded from Russia's investment fund, set aside for large infrastructure projects, Bystrov said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Yuriy Humber in Moscow at yhumber@bloomberg.net ; Bradley Cook in Moscow at bcook7@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: April 18, 2007 16:38 EDT

quote="hershy108"]Hello,

I am living currently in the Eastern part of the United states and I was hoping to one day take a car trip from the Eastern part of the US up into Russia. My question is there such thing as a ferry that takes cars or people from Alaska into Eastern Russia and if there is are there roads from Eastern Russia that would lead me to the Western part of Russia such as Moscow and St. Petersburg etc.

Can anyone give any assitance,[/quote]

Frank-Cobos

Maybe, one far day, it´s possible run in car or truck, run from Alaska to Russia, in ferry or Bridge "Bering sea straight", and the will be possible see transport comercial canadian and north american trucks in Euroasia, Moscow, Perm, Saratov, Mongolia, Kazajstan, Uzbekistan, China etc... Maybe in the next 10 or 50 years. I hope soon. because all is possible.

kawaad · Just Starting Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Im thinking of doing it too but on a motorcycle, from florida us to egypt and maybe more, the biggest problem i see so far is the 60 miles water , i dont know how to cross it, but there must be a way.

danbrew · Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8

There's absolutely a way... it's called an airplane...!!!! Smile

Visit www.horizonsunilimited.com for real talk on this subject.

Roads are difficult to non-existant in the Russian far east. While a journey such as you suggest is not impossible, it is improbable at the present unless you have a *ton* of cash. Your best bet is to air freight the bike to a moderate sized city in the east from Anchorage and then continue your journey from there. Similar to what folks do to avoid the Darien Gap in Panama - most go right around Columbia due to FARC issues.

Enjoy, good luck, and we'd love to see pictures.

Smile

kawaad · Just Starting Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Thanks for the advice, but i think the fun will start east of achorage, when u realy on the wild, challenge is the goal, im planning on enduro bike, which are very reliable, on off road vechiles, but i want to know is there any villages in these areas, and also on the siberia side ,does any one live there? is it possible to find boats for the 50 miles? thx. kay.

danbrew · Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8

My last post wasn't factitious at all... Go visit www.horizonsunlimited.com. You'll have great success on an enduro (which one?) in Alaska. I wonder, though, whether you'll have the same success in eastern Russia. You can get very remote in Alaska, but you can also plan it right to not be that far from fuel, relatively speaking. I'm not sure the same can be said west of the 170th parallel.

I did Alaska on my BMW GS 1150 Adv a few years ago - it was great. I'm quite looking forward to doing a transsib trip on two (or three) wheels at some point, but there is such limited services in the Russian Far East and they don't at all make it easy to get there from Alaska.

Not impossible - but difficult. Very. I'd love to hear of your success - please do let us know how you plan, etc.

Smile

bunker6 · Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 11:27 am Post subject:

Well I've been to Fairbanks a few years ago and locals told me all roads basically terminate there. You can't drive further east to the Bering Strait unless you have some kind of big-foot truck.
Same thing for Russia, no roads there. BTW there's no technology to build on permafrost as far as i know.

jnmburk · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: RE: Travel from Alaska to Russia

Hey Hersey I am 38 years old, and one of my dreams to be able to travel from Phoenix, AZ to Europe. I'd like to drive up through Canada, into Alaska, then travel cross the straight into Russia, and drive across Russia through Europe. Visiting all the places I've always dreamed of seeing. Weather this is a reality or a dream, I am determined to one day do this. MY Question is to all these experts on here is do they have ferry boats that carry passengers and vehicles across the Straight? IF Either country ever actually builds this tunnel I've read about then it would be possible to drive strait through, However since niether countries officials have authorized such an expenses. Looks like traveling across the ICE in a 4X4 or something MIGHT be a possibility, It has been done by others, on skis or walking or by truck or hummers. SO why NOT? And to the one wanting to travel down to Brazil that is very possible, From where I am its about a 25 hour drive. You drive through the US, down to Central america, cross through the Panama Canal into South America. That is something we are planning maybe next summer as well. I want to see the world, BUT Do not waste money of planes, and boats. I want to go where I want to go and when i want to go, not on someone elses time frame. Best of luck to the two travelers.. Smile

DITTRICH · Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 7:26 pm Post subject:

Airfreight your bike from Anchorage to either Vladivostock or to Magadan.
Alternatively airfreight to Japan and then catch Ferry to Vladivostock or Ferries Japan - Sakhalin and Sakhalin - Vanino. I suggest Vladivostock. You are doing the trip "the wrong way round" as on the Magadan - Skovorodino road there are rivers to be crossed and they are lowest in late august early september just before the onset of winter. Otherwise you'd need the services of a **LARGE** truck just to get across some of the rivers where the bridges are broken. There are no ferries across the bering straights, but there are lots of border guards and icbm's on the russian side. Just to get a special permit / visa to go to Chukotka region and to Provideniye (the last settlement on the russian side) is a big deal and not worth it. My advice is:-

1 Vladivostock via Japan
2 Forget the Bering straight
3 Visit the H.U.B.B. bulletin board - its for 2 wheeled travellers - v useful.

I have always wanted to do the trip the other way and I would go to Japan and then airfreight my vehicle to Anchorage at horrendous cost as its a 2,000 kg mercedes - someone got quoted GBP20,000! or a sea container which is obviously a lot less but involves delays. Bikes are small and light enough to make airfreight a viable proposition.
Les

joesweetmore · Just Starting Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 1

ZoeLR619 · Just Starting Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 1

So once all of us ambitious travelers get ourselves to Alaska and finally figure out a way to get across - plane (do locals have a shuttle service?), boat rental (does that even exist?) or driving across the ice -(which sounds really scary!) - once that problem is resolved are we okay arriving with our passport in hand? And what about when we want to leave? Its not stamped so can we get right back to the USA? Or other countries? What about bringing dogs/cats?

These are real questions so hopefully the two folks who were rude to the 12 year old wont be rude to me. And this is a form of research as you so suggested to that kid. So please be kind.

european · Frequent Guest Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 49

You can have a look at these sites about crossing the Bering Strait:
http://www.angusadventures.com/beringstrait.html
and
http://goliath.mail2web.com/

LRKay · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:07 am Post subject:

Hello,
As I was reading Pulasthi's post I wondered -- was a feasibility plan researched - on the ground for the whole rail/road electrical line infrastructure and if so could a copy of the in field (on the ground ) study be obtained and perhaps this could shed light on a route through far east russia all the way to Uelen as the bering tunnel would propose.
And as far as services -- go with a diesel motorcycle they get about twice the mileage diesel a big 4- 5 gallon tank could carry you 350 to 500 miles. A small motorcycle could be air shipped into and out of Provendiya through Bering Air but it may require chartering half the weight available.

Bannet · Just Starting Joined: 17 Dec 2009 Posts: 4

@DITTRICH

Do you know if there are commercial routes from Kamchatka/Chukotka to Alaska?
I'm wondering if is possible cross the sea by a freight ship ... just as passenger without any vehicle.

traveler70 · Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 7:42 am Post subject:

I am also wondering about travel between Kamchatka and Alaska. I
have tried to find any airline flying the route or shipping company
between the two. I would also ask if anyone knows of airlines
offering service between Alaska and Sakhalin in the spring and
summer. I have checked Sakhalin Air and Vladivostok Air, but
neither are currently flying the route. I would appreciate if
any one hears of either method they will post a reply.

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