China plans world's longest sea tunnel at $42 billion

[cirr]

ECNS 2014-01-22 16:41:00 (Beijing Time)



A plan for an undersea tunnel across Bohai Sea will be submitted to the State Council, Economic Information Dailysaid.

Wang Mengshu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the head of the research team, said they have finished a report and will submit it.

The proposed 125-kilometer tunnel will run from the port city of Dalian in northeastern Liaoning province to Yantai city in eastern Shandong, cutting the travel distance between the two regions by more than 1,500 kilometers on land. The alternative to taking the long way around won't be an option until an undersea tunnel is in place.

The tunnel will cost 220 billion yuan ($36.3 billion), Wang said, adding that the cost can be recouped in 15 years.

Wang said it could start in 2020 and take about 10 years.

Bohai tunnel plan headed for State Council?Beijing news, English news, latest beijingnews,www.bjd.com.cn

 

[cirr]

An earlier report by Reuters.

China plans world's longest sea tunnel at $42 billion -report

BEIJING Thu Jul 11, 2013 7:31am EDT


BEIJING (Reuters) - China will invest 260 billion yuan, or about $42 billion, to revive a long-stalled plan to build the world's longest undersea tunnel across the Bohai Strait linking the country's eastern and northeastern regions, state media said on Thursday.

The 123-km (76.4-mile) tunnel will run from the port city of Dalian in northeastern Liaoning province to Yantai city in eastern Shandong, the China Economic Net website said.

The report did not say when the project will be completed.

China announced plans in 1994 to build the tunnel, at a cost of $10 billion, and set to be completed before 2010. But more than 20 years on, the project remains stuck in the planning stage, the website said, without elaborating.

At the time, state media said the tunnel would shorten the travelling distance between the two regions by 620 miles.

The costs could be recouped in 12 years, said Wang Mengshu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who estimated annual revenues from the tunnel at around 20 billion yuan, the website said. "Freight is very profitable," Wang said.

The report comes nearly a month after Nicaraguan lawmakers gave a Chinese company a 50-year concession to design, build and manage a shipping channel across the Central American nation that would compete with the Panama Canal.

Japan has the world's longest undersea tunnel. The 54-km Seikan tunnel links Honshu and Hokkaido islands and started operating in 1988 after more than two decades of construction.

The Channel tunnel between England and France is about 51 km long.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

China plans world's longest sea tunnel at $42 billion -report| Reuters

 

[FaujHistorian]

Awesome project.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Edison Chen]

 

[albert_008]

The idea is insane . As a citizen, i would not support that project with huge cost and mini benefits? The current ferry transportation is enough. Let the money go somewhere that is really needed. If such project is given green light, these guys would also bring other projects linked to taiwan and Hainan.

 

[tranquilium]

The idea is insane . As a citizen, i would not support that project with huge cost and mini benefits? The current ferry transportation is enough. Let the money go somewhere that is really needed. If such project is given green light, these guys would also bring other projects linked to taiwan and Hainan.

Well, I would not call it mini-benefit if the cost can be recouped in 12 years.

 

[itaskol]

too expensive. too expensive
even it is neccesery to direct connect both city. build a bridge must be cheaper.

 

[xunzi]

It will be one of the greatest human achievement but $42 billion is a tough bill, even for us. What is the use of this tunnel beside transport? Tourism undersea?

 

[kbd-raaf]

125km long undersea tunnel :O

 

[PurpleButcher]

I hope that instead of straight tunnel as shown in above pics, it can be as follows.....
bridges between islands and one 50-60 km patch of tunnel (it might be cost effective as well)