Elon Musk has suggested that the idea of building a ‘£20 trillion’ underground tunnel link from London to New York appears to be a genuine possibility – although he says he could do it for less.
This comes after the SpaceX boss, 53, who promises to revolutionise the way we travel, said his ‘Starship’ rocket could be used to transport passengers to any city in the world in under an hour.
From London, you could head to New York in just 29 minutes, theoretically.
X user @ajtourville took to the platform to that SpaceX would be cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during Donald Trump’s presidency.
He wrote: “Under Trump’s FAA, @SpaceX could even get Starship Earth to Earth approved in a few years – Taking people from any city to any other city on Earth in under one hour.”
To which Musk replied: “This is now possible.”
Elon Musk has made yet another big claim in his bid to speed up travel times (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The rocket would have a maximum speed of up to 27,000 km/h, and if you compare that with one of the fastest commercial airliners that goes up to 1,061 km/h, it’s quite the difference.
But if flying isn’t your thing, then perhaps an underwater tunnel train is more up your street?
Hip-Hop news outlet Daily Loud recently shared a tweet that read: “Proposed $20 Trillion tunnel would get you from New York to London in 54 minutes.”
Musk, who owns the platform, replied: “The @boringcompany could do it for 1000X less money.”
The Boring Company, which Musk also owns, is an American infrastructure and tunnel construction business, which he founded in 2017.
Is an underwater tunnel train actually possible?
It might sound a little scary (Getty Stock Images)
In short, yes.
Currently, there’s an 18-kilometre tunnel being built to link southern Denmark with northern Germany beneath the Baltic Sea.
“For commuters, it means a faster and more reliable connection between Denmark and Germany, significantly reducing travel time and making daily commutes much more convenient,” Denise Juchem, a spokesperson from Femern A/S – the Danish company preparing the project – told Euronews Travel.
“Ultimately, the 18-kilometre immersed tunnel was deemed the best solution due to its lower environmental impact, reduced sensitivity to weather conditions, and cost-effectiveness.”
“The design of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel was a complex process that required extensive planning,” Markus Just, the Tunnel Design Quality Manager, explained.
“We decided to build basins in front of each of the three factory halls so that the tunnel elements could float up like in a lock and be transported to the work harbour.”
The train line is expected to open in 2029.
Featured Image Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images / by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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Elon Musk says it’ll soon be ‘possible’ to travel from London to New York in just 30 minutes at mind-blowing speeds
SpaceX has shared a promotional video explaining how it would work
Elon Musk’s SpaceX could pretty much revolutionise the way we travel with his mind-boggling plans to transport passengers from city to city, from anywhere in the world.
The billionaire’s company has created the most powerful rocket on earth called ‘Starship’ but he won’t just be using it to fly into space.
As well as heading to stars and planets, Musk says the rocket could dramatically reduce air travel time, making a trip from London to New York in just 29 minutes. Watch below:
The massive rocket will be able to hold 1,000 passengers and will be capable of flying anywhere on earth in under an hour, the company has said.
SpaceX also says most long distance trips will last less than 30 minutes.
The way it would work is passengers would get on a boat to travel to the location of the rocket, which would be ready to takeoff on a platform in the sea, according to the promo video.
SpaceX has shared a promo video of what to expect (SpaceX)
Twitter user @ajtourville shared the clip, suggesting that SpaceX could be cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during Donald Trump’s presidency.
He wrote: “Under Trump’s FAA, @SpaceX could even get Starship Earth to Earth approved in a few years – Taking people from any city to any other city on Earth in under one hour.”
To which Musk replied: “This is now possible.”
The maximum speed of the rocket would be up to 27,000 km/h, with one of the fastest commercial airliners coming in at around 1,061 km/h. Quite the difference.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX says the rocket will be capable of flying anywhere on earth in under an hour (SpaceX)
Though in 2019, Musk tweeted: “1000, as all seats would be ‘coach’ & no toilets, pilot area or food galley needed.
“Most flights would only be 15 to 20 mins. It’s basically an ICBM traveling at Mach 25 that lands.”
When asked if people would be able to move around during the flight, he added: “That would be unwise. Probably needs a restraint mechanism like Disney’s Space Mountain roller coaster. Would feel similar to Space Mountain in a lot of ways, but you’d exit on another continent.”
Starship flight times
London to New York – 29 minutes
New York to Paris – 30 minutes
Honolulu to Tokyo – 30 minutes
Tokyo to Delhi – 30 minutes
Sydney to Singapore – 31 minutes
LA to London – 32 minutes
London to Hong Kong – 34 minutes
London to Cape Town – 34 minutes
Sydney to Delhi – 36 minutes
New York to Sydney – 49 minutes