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The future of train travel is looking pretty exciting: Russia announced this week its proposal to link the Trans-Siberian Railway from London to Tokyo, reports The Telegraph.
The massive rail extension was first proposed by Japan in October 2016, when the government expressed interest in bringing the railroad to the island of Hokkaido. The Japanese government’s intentions were to boost tourism and make trade with Russia and Europe easier, but the initial idea depended on Russia’s cooperation. Now, the Russian government has come back with a proposal more ambitious than the original.
The new railroad—which would span 8,400 miles—would end in the northern Japanese city of Wakkanai. The current Trans-Siberian route begins in Moscow and ends in Vladivostok, and according to the new plan, the line would continue across a bridge to the Russian island Sakhalin. From there, it would cross a second bridge, a 28-mile one built specifically for trains, into Japan.
“We are seriously offering Japanese partners to consider the construction of a mixed road and railway passage from Hokkaido to the southern part of Sakhalin,” Russia’s first vice-premier Igor Shuvalov is quoted saying in the Siberian Times. Nicknamed the “bridge across history,” the project would be huge for the two countries, who’ve never formally signed a treaty to end the hostilities from World War II.
If all goes according to plan, travelers will be able to take the Eurostar from London to Paris, then an overnight train that passes through France, Belarus, Poland, and Germany before arriving in Moscow. From there, the Trans-Siberian Railway will go directly to Hokkaido, which is about four hours from Tokyo via bullet train.
