Some decades after plans were drawn up for a tunnel between the Russian mainland and Sakhalin island, talks between the government and Japanese counterparts have revived the dream again.
Russia’s transport ministry has budget plans over 2008-2010 for the long-stalled 10km tunnel to Sakhalin island, which is experiencing an economic boom. The project would be a road-rail link.
The scheme was among a series of transport projects presented in Tokyo last month.
Plans were active in the early 1950’s for a tunnel from the Russian mainland to Sakhalin, and some construction activity did take place before being abandoned.
Most recently, in 2000, the tunnel from Sakhalin to the Russian mainland was briefly revived in the hope that construction could start quickly. However, once again it was shelved.
In last month’s talks a variation on the Russian transport plan was raised by Japanese representatives. They suggested a tunnel between Sakhalin and the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
During the Stalin era there was also a tunnel project from Sakhalin to Hokkaido, which was seen by Japan as a way of linking it to the Trans-Siberian rail line. More recently, firms in Japan have been planning to undertake such a strategic transport link, which would be about 40km long.
