Preliminary Project Proposal for the Bering Strait Tunnel and Silk Road Connection to the China One Belt One Road Railroad Corridor between the Eurasian and North American Continents, Presented to Ms. Diana Wu, Director North America China Council
Prepared by: Hal B. H. Cooper, Jr., PhD, PE Consulting Engineer CP&Y Incorporated — Kirkland, Washington
Date: March 31, 2016
Source: InterBering LLC, 2016
This proposal presents a comprehensive plan to plan, develop, build and operate a new intercontinental railroad corridor connecting northeast China through Russia and Canada to the United States via a tunnel under the Bering Strait. Its purpose is to support expanded worldwide trade, commerce, and peaceful international relations by facilitating the movement of freight and passengers across continents and serving as a development model for the extended One Belt One Road Silk Road railroad system.
The envisioned rail corridor begins in Beijing and proceeds northeast through Heilongjiang Province to key junctions in eastern Russia, including Hohe and Skovorodino on the Trans‑Siberian Railway. From there, the route continues north through the Sakha Republic, passing Yakutsk and entering the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug toward the Bering Strait. Two potential routes are analyzed for access, and the freight and passenger corridor is designed with both conventional and high‑speed tracks, including gauge‑changing infrastructure to accommodate Russian and international standards.
Under the Bering Strait, a tunnel between Uelen, Chukotka (Russia) and Wales, Alaska (USA) would establish the first direct land connection between the Eurasian and North American rail systems. Multiple bore tracks are proposed — including two high‑speed and two conventional lines — along with capacity for natural gas, power transmission, and fiber‑optic telecommunications. The tunnel design considers geological conditions approximately 100 feet below sea level with minimal seismic activity and includes routing via the Diomede Islands.
On the North American side, the line would extend from Wales across Alaska and through Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia following the Alaska Highway rail corridor. The proposal outlines rail extension to major hubs such as Fort Nelson, Whitehorse, and the greater rail network of the continental United States. Beyond Alaska, the corridor branches into alternate western and eastern routes, linking to major population and freight centers across the U.S. heartland and Pacific Coast, including connections toward Seattle and Chicago.
The project integrates an organizational and administrative framework to govern planning, financing, construction, and operation phases. It proposes the formation of an oversight public‑private entity with stakeholders from China, Russia, Canada, and the United States to manage implementation. Subsidiary companies would specialize in engineering, construction, operations, energy, real estate development, and tourism to support railroad activity and stimulate economic development along the corridor.
Projected costs are detailed in multiple phases, including feasibility studies, engineering design, environmental review, and construction. Estimates for completing the full railroad network and Bering Strait tunnel range across multibillion‑dollar budgets, with phased timelines designed through 2035–2040. The proposal anticipates up to hundreds of daily trains — heavily weighted toward freight traffic — once fully operational, underscoring the strategic importance of this corridor as a link between the growing Silk Road network and North American markets.
Editor’s Note:
Engineer Hal B. H. Cooper, Jr. was one of the most influential U.S. writers and researchers promoting a railway connection between North America and Eurasia via a Bering Strait Tunnel. His research and technical publications, developed from the early 2000s and published beginning around 2007, laid important groundwork for many contemporary concepts to link the rail networks of Asia and the Americas.
