A tunnel that would allow travel between New York and London in just 54 minutes instead of eight hours could soon become a reality, set to cost around $20 trillion (£18 trillion).
However, with such a hefty price tag and the amount of technology needed to construct trains that could reach speeds of around 5,000 mph, few seem willing to take on the challenge.
Elon Musk, however, could be the one to make the transatlantic tunnel talks become a reality, a megaproject expert has revealed.
What’s more, Musk himself has claimed that his companies might be able to build the structure for as little as $20 billion (£16 trillion), which would be a huge shift in the future of the idea.
“Boring Company could do it for 1000x less money”, the billionaire claimed on X.
The idea of a tunnel connecting America with Europe – like the Channel Tunnel but on a far greater scale – is not necessarily a new one, but recent breakthroughs in vacuum technology means that the idea is now actually viable.
The project will take trains across a 3,400 mile-long tunnel lying below the Atlantic Ocean. If successful, the tunnel will be an engineering marvel as the Shanghai Maglev, the current fastest public train in the world which travels at just 286 mph.
Vacuum tube technology is used in tunnel construction for transportation systems requiring high-speed systems, such as the Hyperloop and vactrains. In a vacuum tunnel, trains encounter no air resistance, enabling them to achieve much higher speeds than traditional trains.
Connecting New York and London by rail would be a game-changer for economic and recreational opportunities, given that both cities are major cultural and financial hubs. It would also significantly reduce the environmental footprint of long-haul transatlantic flights.
As one of the key players in the vacuum technology that would be needed for the tunnel, Elon Musk would be critical to starting work on the project and keeping costs low.
Musk’s Boring Company, a transport organisation, has created prototype vacuum tubes with the intention of using the same sort of technology to send cars underground in busy cities.
Professor Bent Flyvbjerg, an author and megaprojects economist at the University of Oxford, said that it could be the best chance the tunnel has of seeing work started in the near future.
“If Musk thinks this is a realistic price tag and is interested, decision-makers should seriously consider offering him the job, provided that he carries the full risk of cost overrun,” Flybbjerg told Newsweek.
“If Musk takes on the job, there is a chance that we might see the project work in our lifetimes, but it is still only a chance, far below 100%.”
However, he does remain skeptical, adding that “This would be a high-risk project.”
There are currently no established plans on either side of the Atlantic for construction of a transatlantic tunnel, as no proposal has been decided on yet.