Seikan tunnel, Japan

Railway tunnels are of no less significance to travellers. Japan is famous for its longest undersea tunnel in the world named Seikan. The Seikan Tunnel is 53850 metres long which makes travelling underground by train incredibly interesting. Seikan is an undersea tunnel. Its construction began in 1946 in order to connect Japan’s main island of Honshu with the island of Hokkaido.

It took more than 40 years to build the enormous underground passage. The tunnel was opened on 13 March 1988. It required tremendous efforts and more than 3, 5 billion dollars to construct. The Seikan tunnel is a unique-architecture object although its construction was complete more than 20 years ago.

The Seikan descends to a depth of 240 metres. More than 2 million people use it annually. However, modern equipment systems are failing to provide complete leakproofness. The tunnel is constantly leaking and there exists a special system of pumps for pumping water. Since there is a probability of earthquakes the tunnel has been equipped with seismological detectors which record the slightest fluctuations in the earth. The Seikan tunnel also includes special platforms for emergency stops and shelters fully equipped with medical supplies and food. Next - Euro Tunnel