New York To London In Under An Hour? The $20 Trillion Transatlantic Tunnel Plan
There's been online discussion this week about plans for a transatlantic tunnel between London and New York.
In travel news this week: the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, why you shouldn’t gift-wrap methamphetamine, plus infrastructure megaprojects around the world.
Bridge & Tunnel Crowd
There’s been a whole bunch of international infrastructure projects in the news this week, with a strong focus on digging.
Busy beavers and merry moles have been chattering about resurfaced plans for a $20 trillion transatlantic tunnel that could theoretically link London and New York in just an hour using vacuum tube technology. That’s 3,000 miles of burrowing, mind, which Newsweek estimates could take the best part of a millennium if construction proceeded at the same rate as Europe’s Channel Tunnel.
In plans that are actually happening, Norway broke ground last month on its Rogfast project, which promises to be the world’s longest, deepest undersea road tunnel. Elsewhere in northern Europe, the world’s longest road and rail tunnel, the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel between Denmark and Germany, is slated to open in 2029.
Southern Europe isn’t shy of a project or two, either. Construction of a new bridge linking Greece and Turkey might be closer to getting underway, the Greek Reporter said Friday.
Over near the western end of Europe, the UK is busy building one of the world’s most expensive railway projects, known as HS2 (High Speed 2), which now costs an almighty $416 million per mile. However, many people think it’s pointless.
That comes a few years after the UK resurfaced plans for what would have been one of the world’s most ambitious bridges, linking Britain and Ireland. It was to cross just a 12-mile stretch, but the waters were deep enough to submerge the Eiffel Tower. Then there was the matter of all the radioactive waste and unexploded munitions. Unsurprisingly, plans were dropped.
Baggage Blues
A top musician who played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was forced to cancel a concert this week after Air Canada refused to give his multi-million-dollar cello a seat on the plane.
For others, the trouble only starts at the baggage carousel, although there’s progress on easing some of the pain of that. United Airlines has rolled out a new way to track lost luggage with AirTags, with users being able to share location information directly with the airline. Other carriers, including Delta, Lufthansa and Qantas, are set to follow suit.
Finally, Japan Airlines has announced a baggage delivery service for travellers that will allow luggage to be dropped off at customers’ hotels for a fee. The idea is to reduce overcrowding on Tokyo’s public transport.
Naughty or Nice?
It’s always a bad idea to put wrapped Christmas presents in your airplane luggage – if they raise concerns with airport security, they’re likely to be unwrapped.
It’s an even worse idea when the “presents” are actually 10 kilos of methamphetamine, as happened at a New Zealand airport this week.
This Christmas, we hope that your holidays are not felonious, but felicitous — like American Jennea and Dutchman Arthur.
Jennea’s flight from Mozambique was delayed and she missed her train out of London to see her loved ones for Christmas. Then she met her future husband on the platform.
Should you have the misfortune of finding yourself similarly in the winter chill this holiday season, but without the comfort of a lover’s hand to hold, you can always console yourself with a pair of heated gloves.
Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have tried and tested the best on the market.
High-Speed Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s new high-speed sleeper trains launched in summer 2024. CNN took a trip on the new 155 mph service from Beijing.
* * *
NEXT UP!
Happiest Country In The World Will Pay $25,000 To Move There
What if you could leave behind the hustle and grind for a life in the serene Swiss Alps—and get paid to do it? It sounds almost too good to be true, but that’s exactly what one picturesque village in Switzerland is offering. Nestled high in the mountains, Albinen has taken a creative approach to breathe new life into its quiet community. The idea is simple yet intriguing: a financial incentive to settle in one of the world’s most scenic and happiest countries. But why such an offer on the table is, and what does it really take to make this dream a reality?
A Financial Incentive To Call The Alps Home
The small Alpine village of Albinen in Switzerland has turned to an innovative approach to tackle a problem many rural communities face: population decline. With a population of just 243, Albinen has seen families move away to larger cities, leaving homes empty and a dwindling local economy. In response, the Swiss government has introduced a program offering significant financial incentives to attract new residents, particularly young families and professionals.
* * *
Telegram: Stay connected and get the latest updates by following us on Telegram!
We’d love to hear from you! If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Collective Spark Story please let us know below in the comment section.
Thoughts?