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.

An open competition could be launched for the restoration and future use of Moscow's 1922 Shukhov Tower after it was saved from demolition. A campaign led by some of the biggest names in architecture has persuaded Moscow city council to overturn plans to dismantle the 150 meters steel lattice radio tower to make way for a new development. Now Moscow city council has announced it is to give the structure protected status, citing its dominance on the skyline, its 3D design - it features five interlocking hyperboloids - and the method of its construction as key reasons. And, in conjunction with the national government, it wants to hold an open international competition to restore the tower and find future uses. But there is some doubt about whether an international competition would be legal because the legislation requires special certificate from The Ministry for Culture of Russia for cultural heritage works, according to a report in the Izvestia newspaper. Properly called the Shabolovka radio tower and designed by the engineer, academician Vladimir Shukhov, it was described by Foster as a work of "dazzling genius".