The Seikan Tunnel Explained
85-kilometre railway tunnel in Japan. It connects Honshu and Hokkaido beneath the Tsugaru Strait. Its track sits 240 metres below sea level.
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The Seikan Tunnel is a 53.85-kilometre railway tunnel in Japan. It connects Honshu and Hokkaido beneath the Tsugaru Strait.
Its track sits 240 metres below sea level. A long way down for a commute.
Surveying began in 1946. Excavation started in 1971, using dynamite through volcanic rock.
The tunnel opened on 13 March 1988. Trillion yen buys a lot of seawater.
Two stations were built under the seabed. They are now closed but serve as emergency escape points. Their museums store Shinkansen supplies.
It has two stations built under the sea.
Shinkansen trains must slow to 160 km/h inside. Freight trains really know how to hold things up.
A proposed extension to Sapporo Station should open in 2038. Research into a Train on Train piggyback system ended in 2015.