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.
There are currently no final plans for a transatlantic tunnel; ideas range from floating tunnels anchored by cables to submerged tunnels resting on the sea floor, each of which presents enormous technical and financial challenges. This would dwarf even massive infrastructure projects like the Channel Tunnel, which is 23.5 kilometers long and took six years to construct. According to Newsweek, building a similar tunnel across the Atlantic at the same pace would take an astounding 782 years.
Musk’s larger plans to transform international travel His company SpaceX has already proposed the Starship rocket for quick “Earth-to-Earth” travel, which could allow flights from London to New York in 30 minutes, New York to Shanghai in 39 minutes, and Zurich to Sydney in 50 minutes. However, despite the audacious claims, Musk’s lofty predictions have not always come true. In 2016, he predicted that Tesla vehicles would be fully autonomous by 2017, but as of 2024, Tesla’s Autopilot still requires driver supervision, and his 2020 prediction of autonomous robotaxis has not been realized. Other cutting-edge infrastructure projects are in progress, such as the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, an 18-kilometer underwater road and rail tunnel connecting southern Denmark.
Denise Juchem, a spokeswoman for Femern A/S, the Danish company behind the project, emphasized the advantages of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, which is expected to be finished in 2029 and will run more than 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea, including faster and more dependable connections and less traffic.