Sakhalin–Hokkaido Tunnel
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The Sakhalin–Hokkaido Tunnel (or potentially bridge) is a proposed connection to link the Russian island of
Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...
with the Japanese island of
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
through the Russia-Japan border. Cost estimates by Russia in the year 2000 put the project at $50 billion. When the project is complete, it will span across the Soya strait for , making it the longest bridge in the world.


Overview

On 16 January 2009, the Russian Vice-Minister of Transport, Andrei Nedosekov, confirmed that proposals are now under consideration in regard to the Sakhalin–Hokkaido Tunnel. The proposal was for a bridge rather than a tunnel. His decision to invite Japanese companies to bid to become consortium members of a wide array of Russian rail infrastructure work, particularly the Sakhalin Tunnel (or
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
) to the Russian mainland could be taken as a nod towards future rail cooperation between Russia and Japan. The tunnel would span roughly between Sakhalin (in Russia) and Hokkaido (in Japan) under the Soya Strait. In comparison, the completed Seikan Tunnel links the Japanese islands of
Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
. A further tunnel or bridge in the north of Sakhalin to the Russian mainland would also have to be created. Already a proposal for the Sakhalin Tunnel, has been announced by the Russian Government. Once on the Russian mainland, the rail link could connect to the rest of the Russian (and hence European) rail network, allowing for gauge changes. Running south, from Hokkaido, the line would connect with the Seikan Tunnel between Hokkaido and Honshu, currently the longest undersea tunnel in the world and second-longest railway tunnel. This would allow connections to the rest of the Japanese rail network. The project could be seen as an alternative to the Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel, as Russia is already under way with planning and construction of many of the necessary linkages on the Russian side, whereas the tunnel itself would be considerably shorter than that between Japan and Korea. As well as the great cost and engineering difficulty, there may be political problems, particularly in regard to the
Kuril Islands dispute The Kuril Islands dispute, known as the Northern Territories dispute in Japan, is a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over the ownership of the four southernmost Kuril Islands. The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands that stretch ...
between Russia and Japan. The Japanese government's initial reaction has been positive towards the idea. Russian officials again raised the idea of a bridge or tunnel to connect Sakhalin with Hokkaido in 2013. Former Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
has expressed a desire to resolve the longstanding dispute that has prevented Japan and Russia from finalising a peace agreement since
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. A proposed road connection between Russia and Japan could integrate with Russia's
Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...
, linking Moscow and Europe to the northeastern edge of the
Eurasian continent Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents dates back to anti ...
. The
Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...
connection has been a "longtime goal" for the Kremlin, according to Ivanov, though progress has been minimal. "Even comrade
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
had plans for this, but it never materialised. In the Soviet Union, many initiatives failed to come to fruition—take the Chita-Khabarovsk road, for instance—but we succeeded with that one." Ivanov did not specify a timeline for constructing a potential tunnel to Sakhalin, suggesting that inquiries on the matter be directed to the
Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...
. The project has repeatedly come up in discussions between officials from Russia and Japan. During Russian President Vladimir Putin's first term in office, the Kremlin greatly intensified its outreach to Japan, the world's third biggest economy. Russia's plan was to build a bridge between the two countries that could link Moscow to Tokyo by land and rail. Putin reignited speculation about the long-rumored project in 2017, when he announced that a land link between Russia and Japan would have “planetary” significance. In July 2018, Russia's president Vladimir Putin commissioned an analysis of a proposal to build a bridge to Sakhalin Island. Putin said that the project is very important for Sakhalin residents and would be a major factor in encouraging people to remain in the region. It would also boost the development of Khabarovsk Territory. He said that he has instructed the government to analyse this matter, particularly its economic aspects.


Gauges

The railways on the Russian mainland use the
Russian gauge Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
, while the Sakhalin Railway was by 2019 converted from the original Japanese gauge (
Cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...
) to the Russian gauge. Japanese railways use (legacy lines and freight traffic) and
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
(mostly
Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
). If the tunnel were built with 1520 mm, there would be one break of gauge for all traffic on the Japanese side. If it were built with 1435 mm only, there would be twice a break of gauge for freight traffic. It is unclear what gauge would be used for the proposed tunnel and associated infrastructure. Here are the current proposed figures: *Breaks of gauge: in Wakkanai area, Hokkaido, /. *Sakhalin–Hokkaido Tunnel **Track gauge: **Loading gauge: 4.1 m wide and 6.15 m tall **Electrification: 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead lines *Hokkaido network: **Track gauge: **Loading gauge: Japanese Shinkansen


See also

* Japan-Russia Border * Trans Global Highway * List of bridge–tunnels


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakhalin-Hokkaido Tunnel Proposed undersea tunnels in Asia Transport in the Russian Far East Rail transport in the Russian Far East Proposed tunnels in Russia Proposed tunnels in Japan Japan–Russia border Tunnels in Hokkaido Undersea tunnels in Japan