Russia has announced big plans for a superhighway that would effectively connect all the continents in the Northern Hemisphere, making it possible to travel from New York westward through Russia and on to London without the need for an airplane or a boat. The exact route hasn't been determined yet, but what is clear is that a plan such as this would create the largest, longest superhighway on Earth. The idea, dubbed the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TERP), would see a high speed railway and motorway built from Eastern Europe, across Siberia and over the Bering Strait to Alaska. At a meeting of the Russian Academy of Science, the head of the Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin presented the idea for the Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR). Mr Yakunin has been engaged in the development of the project with academic Gennady Osipov and the rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy. During the meeting Vladimir Yakunin told that the project could link existing networks and supercharge global economic growth. The project would see not only a new train network built alongside the Trans-Siberian Railway but the construction of major roads, pipelines for oil and gas, and the laying of facilities for electricity and water supplies. "This is an inter-state, inter-civilization, project. It should be an alternative to the current model, which has caused a systemic crisis. The project should be turned into a world "future zone", and it must be based on leading, not catching, technologies," he said, according to the Siberian Times newspaper. If the idea is successful, it is expected that could create 10 to 15 new industries, new cities and a huge number of new jobs, as well as further development of Siberia and the Far East. Talking about a rough estimate for the costs of the project he said that it will require trillions of dollars, but insisted the economic returns would outweigh these investments. Today not all countries can provide high-speed railway network needed for this project. In Eastern Europe the European Union is separately drawing up plans for a high speed rail corridor to connect the Baltic States to Western Europe's high speed rail network - which runs through the Channel Tunnel to London. North American passenger railways are comparative undeveloped, however. Plans drawn up by President Obama to develop high speed rail corridors across the United States have stalled amid opposition. Bridges and tunnels spanning the Bering Strait have been proposed since the late 19th century but none has ever been built. The Russian government has expressed public support for a number of proposals in recent years but ground has not been broken on any of them, reported The Independent. China and Russia also unveiled a separate plan last year to connect, as well as a plan for a continent-spanning rail network that could cross the Bering Strait .

China and Russia are considering building a high-speed rail line thousands of kilometers from Moscow to Beijing that would cut the journey time from six days on the celebrated Trans-Siberian to two. The 803-kilometre line would be the first stage of the route to Beijing. The project would cost more than US$ 230 billion and be over 7,000 kilometers long, more than three times the world's current longest high-speed line, from the Chinese capital to the southern city of Guangzhou. At present, trains between the two run along the Trans-Siberian railway that links Moscow and Vladivostok, before switching to a branch line heading south through the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. Direct passenger trains between Beijing and Moscow went into operation in 1954 and there are still two services per week.

It sounds like an April Fool's joke, but from what we can tell, the Chinese government is completely serious about their latest high speed rail project. According to multiple news outlets, China plans to build an 12870 kilometers railroad (sounds plausible) connecting China, Russia, Canada, and the U.S. that includes a 200 kilometers undersea tunnel spanning the Bering Strait! The plan was announced in China's state-run newspaper, the Beijing Times, and apparently Russia is already on-board with the plan. While it would be nice to travel from China to America in two days without setting foot in a single airport, engineers around the globe are skeptical. According to the report, which cites a single expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese officials "are considering a route that would start in the country's northeast, thread through eastern Siberia and cross the Bering Strait via a 200-kilometers long underwater tunnel into Alaska." This sounds fine, until you realize the proposed undersea route is longer than the Chunnel and the Seikan Tunnel in Japan (currently the world's longest and deepest) combined. Both were amazing feats of engineering in their own right, and that was without four major world governments (two of which don't play very nicely together) in the mix. Unsurprisingly, "no other Chinese railway experts have come out in support of the proposed project. Whether the government has consulted Russia, the US or Canada is also unclear," reports the Guardian. It's worth pointing out that Russia did green light a similar project in 2011. While we're inclined to file this one under 'strange and unusual news' for the time being, it's interesting to note that if anyone could create something as preposterous as an undersea railway around the world, it's China. "In the last half decade or so, China has embarked on an astonishing rail construction spree, laying down tens of thousands of miles tracks and launching myriad high-speed lines," explains the Washington Post.

The Saudi Arabian government awarded US$ 22.5 billion in contracts to three foreign-led consortia on Sunday for the design and construction of a metro rail system in the capital Riyadh. The project, which will involve six rail lines extending 176 kilometers and carrying electric, driverless trains, is the world's largest public transport system currently under development, Saudi officials said. U.S. construction giant "Bechtel Corp" heads a group which won a US$ 9.45 billion contract to build two lines, the government announced. A consortium led by Spain's "FCC" won a US$ 7.82 billion contract for three lines, while Italy's "Ansaldo STS" heads a group that won a US$ 5.21 billion order. Design work will start immediately and construction will begin in the first quarter of 2014, the government said. The project would be completed in 2019. Designs for the Riyadh Metro call for 35.2 kilometers of twin-tube bored running tunnels and a further 13.7 kilometers of cut-and-cover work for a total subsurface length of nearly 49 km. Preliminary designs of the 176 kilometer metro system have been carried out by consultants Dar Al-Hanasah of Lebanon and Egis Rail of France. The Riyadh Metro or the so-called "Miracle of the Desert" consists of six main lines running a total length of 176 km with 94 stations, including 85 main stations, four transfer stations, and five park-and-ride stations. The proposed metro passes through areas near government buildings, commercial and health centers, educational centers and major universities in Riyadh and its suburbs. The metro will also connect the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) through the city center and densely populated areas of Riyadh. Trains on the six lines will run at 40 km/h. All stations and carriages will be air-conditioned. The driverless electric trains will also be divided into first class, family class and single class carriages. Designs for the major stations were unveiled by the authority in May, with UK-based architect Zaha Hadid's design chosen for a station at King Abdullah Financial District, Norway's Snohetta chosen for a Downtown (Qasr Al-Hokm) station and Gerber Architekten of Germany's designs picked for a new hub station at Olaya.

In order to serve its rapidly expanding population of more than five million, the ArRiyadh Development Authority has commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to construct the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station in its capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Best known in Britain for her design of the Olympics Aquatic Centre, Hadid has again envisaged a curved structure, with the station's undulating form supposedly referencing Saudi Arabia's desert sand dunes. Measuring 20,434 square meters in size, the huge space will feature four public floors as well as two levels of underground parking and is intended to function as a gathering place as well as an interchange. A number of gangways and route within the structure will be incorporated to alleviate congestion and the station will also be connected to the Riyadh monorail via a skybridge. Looking more like the inside of five-star hotel, the proposed network, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will boast a space age design featuring marbled walkways, gold-plated walls and, naturally in one of the hottest places on earth, air conditioning. The facade will apparently be designed to let in light while keeping out the harsh desert sun, while the overall shape is meant to recall the country's wind-blown sand dunes. King Abdullah has instructed the new Riyadh Metro be completed in four years. Prince Khaled bin Bander, the governor of Riyadh, said the project is progressing to plan and the ArRiyadh Development Authority has released details of the city's public transport plan including the six metro lines that will serve as the backbone for public transport in the city.