What If We Dug Tunnels Between Continents?

Summary

The script envisions a transatlantic tunnel connecting New York and London, inspired by the Channel Tunnel. It explores the immense engineering and financial challenges, including the tunnel's construction, the potential use of vactrains for high-speed, frictionless travel, and the transformative impact on industry and economy. The idea, while currently fantastical, sparks curiosity about the future of travel and global connectivity.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The concept of a transcontinental tunnel between New York and London is explored, suggesting a commute time of just over two hours.
• 🕰️ The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, serves as a real-world example of such a tunnel, taking 35 minutes to travel between England and France.
• 🏗️ The construction of the Channel Tunnel took six years and decades of planning, indicating the scale of effort required for a New York to London tunnel.
• 💰 The estimated cost to build another Chunnel today would be $13 billion, suggesting an astronomical budget for the proposed transcontinental tunnel.
• 🔢 The proposed tunnel would be over 5,500 km (3,417 miles) long, significantly larger than the 50 km (31 miles) of the Channel Tunnel.
• 🚧 The technical challenges include boring through the ground and dealing with the immense pressure of the ocean at depths of over 5,000 meters (16,404 ft).
• 🌊 A potential solution involves creating a long tube and anchoring it to the ocean floor to avoid the issues of tunneling through the seafloor.
• 🚄 The transportation method proposed is not traditional driving but rather vactrains, which are high-speed trains that travel in a vacuum.
• 🚀 Vactrains would use magnetic levitation and could theoretically reach speeds of up to 8,000 km/h (4,970 mph), though safer operational speeds are considered.
• 🛰️ The potential impact on industry, economy, and travel is immense, suggesting a revolution in transatlantic connectivity.
• 🤔 The script ends with a hypothetical scenario where land masses are already connected, hinting at the transformative effects of such infrastructure.

Q & A

What is the concept of waking up in New York and arriving at work in London within a few hours?

The concept involves constructing a massive tunnel between the continents, allowing for rapid transit using advanced transportation technology like vactrains.

What is the Channel Tunnel, and how does it relate to the proposed tunnel?

The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, is an existing tunnel that connects England and France and serves as an example of what the proposed tunnel might look like. It took six years to build and decades to plan.

How long would the proposed tunnel be if it were to connect New York and London?

The proposed tunnel would be over 5,500 km (3,417 miles) long, significantly longer than the Channel Tunnel at just over 50 km (31 miles).

What is the estimated cost of building a tunnel similar to the Channel Tunnel today?

Building a tunnel similar to the Channel Tunnel today would cost approximately $13 billion.

How would the cost scale if the tunnel were to be built from New York to London?

The cost would scale up by about 100 times, considering the tunnel would be over 100 times larger than the Channel Tunnel.

What are the challenges of building a tunnel underwater at such a great depth?

The challenges include the risk of the tunnel caving in from the ocean's pressure and the time-consuming process of boring through the ground.

What is the proposed method for constructing the underwater tunnel?

The method involves creating a long tube, placing it over the ocean, and then dragging it down about 45 meters (154 ft) using anchors, securing it with wires tied to the ocean floor.

What type of transportation is suggested for the tunnel?

The transportation method suggested is vactrains, which are trains that travel in a vacuum tube, reducing air resistance and allowing for high-speed levitation using magnets or air.

What is the theoretical top speed of a vactrain?

The theoretical top speed of a vactrain is up to 8,000 km/h (4,970 mph), although for safety and practicality, it would likely travel at around 2,000 km/h (1,242 mph).

How does the proposed vactrain speed compare to the speed of sound?

The proposed vactrain speed of 2,000 km/h (1,242 mph) is almost double the speed of sound, which is approximately 1,235 km/h (767 mph).

What precedent is there for humans traveling at such high speeds?

The Concorde passenger jet, which was decommissioned, flew at speeds similar to the proposed vactrain, demonstrating that humans can safely travel at such high speeds.

What would be the potential impact on industry, economy, and travel if such a tunnel were built?

The construction of such a tunnel could revolutionize industry, economy, and travel by significantly reducing transit times between Europe and America, potentially leading to new economic opportunities and cultural exchanges.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Transcontinental Travel Dream

The script introduces the fantastical idea of waking up in New York City and arriving at a job in London by 9:30 a.m., suggesting the possibility of a tunnel between the continents. It uses the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) as a real-world example, highlighting its 35-minute travel time between England and France. The hypothetical tunnel from New York to London would be significantly longer, at over 5,500 km (3,417 miles), and the script humorously suggests the immense time and financial investment required, comparing it to building 100 Chunnels.

Keywords

💡New York City

New York City, often referred to as NYC, is the most populous city in the United States and a major center for international diplomacy, finance, and culture. In the video's context, it represents the starting point of the hypothetical journey to London, emphasizing the theme of rapid transcontinental travel.

💡London

London is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom, known for its rich history and global influence. The video uses London as the destination city, highlighting the concept of a tunnel that could drastically reduce travel time between two major world cities.

💡Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, is an undersea rail tunnel linking England and France. The script uses the Channel Tunnel as a real-world example of a successful long-distance tunnel project, comparing its scale and impact to the hypothetical tunnel between New York and London.

💡Tunnel

In the context of the video, a tunnel refers to a passageway dug through the earth or under the sea, allowing for transportation between two points. The main theme revolves around the idea of constructing a massive tunnel for high-speed travel between continents.

💡Vactrain

A vactrain is a theoretical high-speed transportation system that operates in a vacuum-sealed tube, reducing air resistance and allowing for ultra-fast travel. The video introduces the concept of vactrains as a means of transportation within the proposed tunnel, emphasizing the potential for rapid transcontinental travel.

💡Magnetic Levitation

Magnetic levitation, or maglev, is a method by which a train is propelled by magnets, reducing friction and allowing for high-speed travel. The script mentions maglev as a technology that could be used in the vactrain system, illustrating the advanced engineering required for the tunnel's operation.

💡Speed of Sound

The speed of sound is the distance that a sound wave travels through the air in a given time, approximately 1,235 km/h (767 mph) at sea level. The video uses the speed of sound as a benchmark to describe the incredible speed of the vactrain, which would travel almost double this speed.

💡Concorde

The Concorde was a supersonic passenger airliner that was able to fly at speeds over twice the speed of sound. It serves as a historical example in the script, demonstrating that high-speed travel is not only possible but has been achieved in the past, thus making the concept of a vactrain more plausible.

💡Underwater Pressure

Underwater pressure refers to the force exerted by a fluid at a certain depth. In the script, it is mentioned as a potential challenge when constructing a long underwater tunnel, as the pressure could cause the tunnel to collapse, emphasizing the engineering complexities involved.

💡Anchors and Wires

Anchors and wires are used in the script to describe a method of securing the tunnel to the ocean floor, preventing it from floating or moving due to currents or other forces. This illustrates the practical considerations and solutions for stabilizing a massive underwater structure.

💡Resources

Resources in this context refer to the financial, material, and human capital needed to undertake such a monumental project. The video script mentions the need for unlimited resources to conceptualize and build the tunnel, highlighting the scale and complexity of the endeavor.

Highlights

The concept of a tunnel between New York and London for rapid transit is presented.

The possibility of commuting between continents within hours is discussed.

The Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, is used as a precedent for such a massive project.

The Chunnel enables travel from England to France in about 35 minutes.

The proposed tunnel would be over 5,500 km (3,417 miles) long, significantly larger than the Chunnel.

The construction of the Channel Tunnel took six years and decades of planning.

An estimated cost of $13 billion for a similar tunnel today is mentioned.

Scaling up the project by 100 times would result in an astronomical cost and time investment.

The challenges of boring through the seafloor and the risk of tunnel collapse are highlighted.

A proposed method involves placing a massive tube over the ocean and securing it with anchors.

The idea of using vactrains, or vacuum trains, for travel within the tunnel is introduced.

Vactrains would operate in a vacuum, reducing air resistance for high-speed travel.

The use of magnetic levitation or air cushion technology for the train is discussed.

The potential speed of vactrains, reaching up to 8,000 km/h (4,970 mph), is mentioned.

Safety concerns regarding the high-speed travel and its impact on human health are addressed.

The Concorde jet is cited as an example of successful high-speed travel.

The transformative impact on industry, economy, and travel if such a tunnel were to be built is considered.

The hypothetical scenario of land masses being naturally connected is pondered.

Transcripts

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Imagine what it would be like

if you could wake up in your New York City apartment

at 7:00 a.m.,

and make it to your job in London, England

by 9:30 in the morning.

That would be a possibility if we dug tunnels

between the two continents.

Just try not to get sick.

Believe it or not,

something like this is possible.

That's right,

a tunnel like this is possible.

I mean, a tunnel that's similar to this

already exists.

It's called the Channel Tunnel,

or Chunnel.

And in just about 35 minutes,

you can drive from England

to France.

Without it, you'd have to take either a ferry

or a plane.

Compared to what we'd be building,

the Chunnel is tiny at just over 50 km (31 miles).

Our tunnel would be over 5,500 km (3,417 miles)

if we wanted to go from New York to London.

So how would we make our tunnel?

Let's use the Channel Tunnel

as an example of what our tube might look like,

to give us some context.

The Channel Tunnel took six years to build,

and it also took decades of planning before that.

As for the price?

If we were to build another Chunnel today,

it would cost a whopping $13 billion.

Okay now multiply these numbers by 100,

as that's how much bigger our tunnel would be,

and you get the idea.

This thing would take an incredibly long time,

and would cost a ridiculous amount of money.

But let's assume we've got all this covered,

and we have unlimited time and money.

Just because we have enough resources

doesn't mean we should be stupid in how we use them.

If we tried to avoid all the water and went

underneath the seafloor,

we'd have to bore through the ground

from England all the way to America.

This would take an incredibly long time.

And there's always the possibility

that the tunnel we built more than 5,000 meters (16,404 ft) underwater

would cave in from the ocean's pressure.

Instead, the best way to make the tunnel

might be like this.

You would make one,

massively long, 5,500 km (3,417 mile) tube

and put it over the ocean.

Then, using anchors,

you would drag the tube down about 45 meters (154 ft).

You would then secure the tube using wires tied to the ocean's floor.

Okay, now that we have our tunnel,

what do we fill it with?

Will we drive through it?

Pfft, that's so 21st century.

Instead, we'll be taking a train.

I know, I know,

that might sound even more old-school than using a car,

but this won't be just a regular train.

To travel through our tube so quickly,

we'd need to use vactrains.

This system would essentially act as a vacuum

that would take all the air out of the tube.

This will allow the train to travel at incredibly high speeds

due to there being little or no air resistance.

Not only that, but

our train would also be levitating,

using high-powered magnets or

with air, kind of like an air hockey table.

Where my Canadians at?

After propelling the train forward with a high powered engine,

it could cruise for hundreds, if not thousands of kilometers,

since there's no friction to stop it.

With this little resistance,

the vactrain can go up to 8,000 km/h (4,970 mph).

But we won't be going that fast, as

that could be incredibly dangerous.

Not just for the train but for your physical well-being.

Instead, you'd be going about 2,000 km/h (1,242 mp/h),

which is almost double the speed of sound.

But don't be too alarmed by this.

Your body should be able to handle it just fine.

After all, the Concorde passenger jet flew this fast

for years before it was decommissioned.

So it is possible that we'll see a pipe that connects across the Atlantic Ocean one day,

as long as we have enough money, time and resources.

Now imagine that this supersonic train

actually exists,

and we could casually travel from Europe to America in just under an hour.

Think about how industry, our economy, and travel would change.

But what if we never even had to travel from Europe to America

as the land masses were already connected?

Well, that sounds like a story for another WHAT IF.

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