The idea of a transatlantic tunnel connecting the two cities has been discussed for years; it would take 54 minutes to travel the almost 5,500 kilometers between them.
Constructing a transatlantic tunnel
Even massive infrastructure projects like the 23.5-kilometer, six-year-long Channel Tunnel would be dwarfed by this. According to Newsweek, it would take an incredible 782 years to build a comparable tunnel across the Atlantic at the same rate.
There aren’t any final plans for such a tunnel yet. All of the concepts—from floating tunnels secured with cables to submerged tunnels resting on the sea floor—present enormous technical and financial obstacles.
Musk’s larger goals to transform international travel
For quick “Earth-to-Earth” travel, his business SpaceX has already suggested the Starship rocket. The Starship may allow flights from London to New York in 30 minutes, New York to Shanghai in 39 minutes, and Zurich to Sydney in 50 minutes, according to earlier claims.
Musk has made audacious assertions, but his lofty forecasts haven’t always come to pass. He predicted in 2016 that Tesla cars would be completely autonomous by 2017, but by 2024, Tesla’s Autopilot still needs human supervision. In a similar vein, his 2020 forecast of autonomous robotaxis has not materialized.
Other cutting-edge infrastructure initiatives are in progress, but a transatlantic tunnel is still a pipe dream. One such project is the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, which connects southern Denmark with an 18-kilometer underwater road and train tunnel.
Expected to be completed in 2029, the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will run over 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea, significantly reducing travel time between the two regions. Denise Juchem, spokeswoman for Femern A/S, the Danish company behind the project, highlighted its benefits, including faster and more reliable connections and reduced road congestion.