Quote:
Originally Posted by jmecklenborg
Use Google Earth and you'll get a distance of roughly 5,500 miles between Beijing and Seattle. So if a freight train averaged 50mph between those two points the transit time would be 110 hours. Shanghai to Los Angles is about 2,000 more miles so the shipping time would be 150 hours.
Meanwhile the shipping distance between Shanghai and Los Angeles is about 6,500 miles. At 20~mph the time is 150-200 hours. Keep in mind that container ships carry as much cargo as several freight trains.
This route could save substantial time for shipments north of Beijing to Canada, the northwest corner of the U.S., and possibly the Great Lakes region.
|
It would save much more than just that though. You are forgetting how much time inventory spends sitting in ports between the train or truck that dropped it off there and the the loading of the ship. If this tunnel is built a factory in China can just put the goods right in a box car and ship it straight to the local distribution center in the US without having to put it on a train, then take it off, stack it in the port, the load it on a ship, then unload it from the ship stack it in the port wait for the truck or train to come get it and then unload it at the distribution center. That will also save a few days... Not to mention trains are a much cheaper, more efficient (energy wise) form of transit than ship.
This would be more efficiant for the entire US not just the north, because even after the 150-200 hour boat ride to the US, the goods still need to go from the Port to the local distribution center which adds another couple days to the journey.
Its basically a more direct route using a form of transit that travels many times as fast. 50 mph for a train is a little slow. The freight limit in the US generally higher. 20 mph for a freighter is also a little fast. You are lucky to get 15 knots, which is a little less than 20mph I believe.
Anyhow, this would be much better than our current system regardless...