I always find episodes of ‘Extreme Engineering’ on Discovery and Quest, a worthwhile watch. Their documentaries are usually thought-provoking, interesting, and the use ‘Extreme’ is surely well used. The challenges of designing and building outrageous and awe-inspiring projects are shown, along with computer animations of the structures, allowing the viewer to better understand what’s going on. They follow the efforts of engineers and scientists taking on these seemingly impossible projects.One of the ventures that really stuck in my mind, was the idea of building a Transatlantic tunnel. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean, with an average depth of 3926metres. The tunnel is to be built connecting Europe to North America, covering a distance of 3,100miles. Scientists and engineers have proposed many theories to overcome the colossal challenges this offers. Firstly, the depth and mass of water are too large for a standard bridge type structure to be built holding the tunnel in place, as divers wouldn’t be able to build that deep. Also, the sea floor isn’t always level, so it wouldn’t be very steady. But most of all, the amount of resources required would be ridiculously unfeasible.
Therefore, the best idea put forward to date is a floating tunnel anchored to the seafloor with tethers, powered by electricity. This would deal with the strong sea currents, as it would give the tunnel the ability to sway slightly under pressure. 150ft below the surface, it can avoid ships and still escape the highest points of pressure. The tunnel will be built with 54000 prefabricated sections connected by watertight and vacuum-tight gaskets, which would take decades to complete. Each section’s outer skin would be constructed of stainless steel, followed by a thick layer of super-buoyant foam. The train will have to travel at a colossal speed, 20 times the speed of today’s fastest trains. For this to work, the train will be magnetically suspended an inch off the track. Magnets will lift, guide and propel the train, instead of wheels and rails. To travel at such a speed, the train cannot cope with air resistance, so a vacuum will have to be maintained inside the tunnel.It would be a breathtaking experience for commuters. The tunnel will have a window, providing passengers with a brief view of the ocean. To cope with the magnetic field and gravity at the same time, passengers will sit on pivoting, rotating seats. That sounds exciting. I think it’s obvious that this journey won’t feel like your everyday train journey. And rightly so, as the project would cost $175 billion to $12 trillion, which is the main barrier against constructing such a tunnel.
