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It Could Soon Be Possible To Travel From London To Tokyo By Train

It Could Soon Be Possible To Travel From London To Tokyo By Train

Russia plans to expand the Trans-Siberian railway to cover the route.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The Russian government has announced a planned extension to the Trans-Siberian railway so that it reaches into Japan, opening up the possibility that Tokyo and London could be linked by an overland route.

The iconic railway line, already the longest in the world by some distance, would grow to an astounding 8,400 miles and top 10,000 kilometres for the first time.

The Russians plan to connect their rail system with that of Japan via a 28-mile bridge over the Sea of Japan that currently separates the Russian island of Sakhalin, in the country's far east, from the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is possible to see Russia on a clear day from Cape Soya, Japan's most northerly point, at the tip of Hokkaido.

Russia train
Russia train

Credit: Creative Commons

The closest city to Sakhalin, Wakkanai, is connected to Tokyo via regular train services, and once on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a traveller could continue uninterrupted to Moscow and onwards via Eastern Europe, Germany and then on to London.

Given that it already takes 15 days to traverse just the Russian stage of the journey, it is hardly a quicker route, but the allure of the tourist-friendly line would only be increased by a connection to Japan.

"We are seriously offering our Japanese partners to consider the construction of a mixed road and railway passage from Hokkaido to the southern part of Sakhalin" said Igor Shuvalov, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister. "We are close to starting our part of the job."

Russia train
Russia train

Credit: Creative Commons

The economic benefits of the plan could potentially be huge for Russia. The Russian Far East is home to massive oil and natural gas deposits and the prospect of transporting commodities via rail to such a large market as Japan is a large draw to the Putin government.

Russia and Japan have enjoyed a somewhat fractious relationship over the years in the region. They fought a war in 1905 and Sakhalin Island was partitioned between the Russians and the Japanese afterwards. During the Second World War, the Soviet Union invaded Sakhalin, causing an estimated 100,000 ethnic Japanese to be evacuated to the mainland.

Sakhalin has been in Russian hands ever since, though no formal peace treaty was ever signed and the Kuril Islands, which were annexed after the war, now form part of Sakhalin and are administered by Russia but claimed by Japan.

It is thought that economic ties such as this bridge will allow the countries to improve their relationship.

Sergei Ivanov, a long time Putin aide and the current Chief of Staff in the Presidential Administration described the project as a "long held dream" adding that "even Comrade Stalin planned to do it."

Featured Image Credit: Creative Commons

Topics: UK, Japan, London