The Seikan tunnel spans the Tsugaru Strait, connecting Aomori Prefecture on the island of Honshu to the island of Hokkaido. The Seikan Tunnel in Japan is officially the longest underwater tunnel in the world, spanning for 53,9 km (33.5 miles) beneath the Tsugaru Strait … Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership - Now 30% off. The railway track runs 787 feet below the surface of the sea, making it the deepest railway line in the world. The requirement of Seikan Tunnel was propelled after the Toya Maru ferry accident in 1954. Construction on the south tunnel began on August 18, 1975, and was finished on December 21, 1979. The Seikan Tunnel was opened in March 1988, at a total cost of around US$7 billion (almost 12 times the original budget). However, for passenger transport, 90% of people use air due to the speed and cost. 23.3 km (14.5 mile) of the tunnel is underwater. It took more than two months to control the flood. Still, for most of our tunnel-digging history, we've managed to get by on ingenuity. Since then, air transport has become much more practicable, and the Seikan Tunnel seems fated to carry significantly fewer passengers between the two islands than aircraft do. We show you the details of Seikan Tunnel from concept to completion, with music, video and sterically-model. In fact, air travel today between Honshu and Hokkaido is quicker and almost as cheap as rail travel through the tunnel. The tunnel cross section is designed to facilitate the Shinkansen trains. The Seikan Tunnel is the second longest tunnel in the world, after the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland. The Seikan Tunnel (in red). Today, the Seikan Tunnel is the longest railroad tunnel in the world at 33.4 miles in length, 14.3 miles of which lie under the Tsugaru Strait. Bridges | Domes | Skyscrapers | Dams | Tunnels Building Big Home | Site Map | Labs | Databank | Glossary Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The tunnel remains one of the most formidable engineering feats of the 20th century, however. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Unfortunately, the cost of extending the Shinkansen service through the new tunnel proved to be too expensive. It was built in the 20th century with a length extending to 53.85 km. It took 17 years and ¥538,000,000,000 to build, and opened in 1998. 23.3 km (14.5 mile) of the tunnel is underwater. The tunnel contains a rail line, and the building of the tunnel was sponsored by the Japanese National Railways. Educators' Guide | Shop. There are two stations in the tunnel. In response to public outrage, the Japanese government searched for a safer way to cross the dangerous strait. The railway estimated this month that 2.1 million passengers a year and 3.4 million tons of freight would be carried through the Seikan Tunnel - … National Mar 14, 2018. This tunnel is the second longest transport tunnel in the world. More than 2,800 tons of explosives were used in the construction of the tunnel. User Guide More. The tunnel was the world’s longest railway tunnel until the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland in December 2016. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Even so, they did it. Inaugurated in 2007, the second-longest Swiss tunnel runs for 34.6 kilometers (21 miles) and is part of the same three-tunnel project in Switzerland as the Gotthard Base Tunnel to its east. Afterward, overcoming many difficult problems, the primary shaft of the tu… The tunnel was opened on 13 March 1988, having cost a total of ¥538.4 billion (US$3.6 billion) to construct. Down from Tappi to the Tappi-Kaitei (undersea) station by cable car. Luckily, no lives were lost. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The Seikan ferries have been around for ages. Tunnel construction included drilling and blasting through an earthquake-prone zone. They sound terrifying, but underwater tunnels are so commonplace that we ra… Seikan Tunnel Visit the official site of the Seikan Tunnel for a detailed illustration, facts, and a short history of the longest railway tunnel in the world. We built the Channel tunnel between UK and France, we have the Seikan Tunnel in Japan which at the moment is the longest at 53 or so km. Construction of the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988. Corrections? Before the Seikan Tunnel was built, it was the only way to get across to Aomori from Hakodate. The technology is here. Work on the tunnel started in 1964 and was completed in 1988. Why was it built; 4. Engineers couldn't use a tunnel boring machine to carve the Seikan Tunnel because the rock and soil beneath the Tsugaru Strait was random and unpredictable. It connects Hokkaido to Aomori Prefecture. In 1954, a typhoon sank five ferry boats in Japan's Tsugaru Strait and killed 1,430 people. …in Japan, is the 34-mile Seikan undersea rock tunnel between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido; the...…. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The tunnel is 54 kilometres long, and descends to a depth of 240 metres below the surface of the sea. The Seikan Tunnel, connecting Honshu, the main island of Japan, with the island of Hokkaido. March 13, 2018. Please enjoy all aspects of Seikan Tunnel dynamically. Seikan Tunnel, Japanese Seikan Tonneru, undersea tunnel linking Japan’s main island of Honshu with the northern neighbouring island of Hokkaido. Construction of the main tunnel’s entrance section started in August 1982. This tunnel is the second longest transport tunnel in the world. It is 33.4 miles (53.8 km) long, 14.3 miles (23.3 km) of which lie under the Tsugaru Strait that separates Honshu from Hokkaido. | The track level is about 100 m (330 ft) below the seabed and 240 m (790 ft) below sea level. Ten years later, work began on what would be the longest and hardest underwater dig ever attempted. According to data compiled by JR Hokkaido Co., it … The Seikan Tunnel（Ja:青函トンネル）is a railway tunnel in Japan. With such unpredictable weather conditions, engineers agreed that a bridge would be too risky to build. 30 years on, world's longest undersea tunnel faces challenges as Japan balances bullet trains with freight. Blake Linder 2 minutes read. About Museum More. Tunnels -- General. Excavation of the underwater section began in 1983 with the 5m pilot tunnel starting fro… Omissions? Construction of the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988. When considering the longest tunnels mentioned above as examples—that is, the Channel Tunnel, Seikan Tunnel, and Gotthard Base Tunnel—it is recognized that all three projects were built using multiple tunnel drives. Web site © 2000-2001 WGBH Educational Foundation. Water gushed into the tunnel at a whopping rate of 80 tons per minute. Name of structure; Map; 2. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It connects Hokkaido to Aomori Prefecture. Seikan Tunnel, Japan: 1. The following year, Japanese National Railways (JNR) expedited the tunnel investigation. It serves as a connection between Aomori Prefecture on the island of Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido. First contact between the two sides was made in 1983. A booming economy saw traffic levels on the JNR-operated Seikan Ferry double to 4,040,000 passengers/year from 1955 to 1965, and cargo levels rose 1.7 times to 6,240,000 tonnes/year. The Seikan Tunnel lies 140m below the … Construction of the tunnel began in 1964 and was completed in 1988; the digging employed as many as 3,000 workers at one time and took 34 lives in all because of cave-ins, flooding, and other mishaps. Hotels near Seikan Tunnel Museum: (0.22 mi) Hotel Tappi (0.26 mi) Tappizaki Seaside Park (8.84 mi) Tsugaru Kodomarikan (8.86 mi) Minshuku Shibazaki (5.38 mi) Tappi Ryokan; View all hotels near Seikan Tunnel Museum on Tripadvisor Size and physical characteristics; 5. The Seikan is a railway tunnel in Japan, but what makes it unique is the fact that a 23-kilometer (14.2 miles) stretch of the tunnel is 140 meters (460 feet) below sea level. The Channel Tunnel (which in any case is the third longest tunnel in the world, after the St Gotthard one - and, obviously, the Seikan one) was built between 1987 and 1994. When the tunnel was first planned in the 1950s, ferries were the chief means of transport between the main island and Hokkaido, and the sinking of a ferry boat in the Tsugaru Strait during a typhoon in 1954 with a loss of more than 1,400 lives galvanized plans for the tunnel’s construction. Humans have tunneled since the first cave dwellers decided to excavate a spare bedroom, and the essentials of dig, support and advance were well-refined by the time the ancient Greeks used tunnels to irrigate and drain their farmland [sources: Lane; Browne]. Construction was finally started in 1964 with the first investigational inclined shaft sunk on the Hokkaido. Although the overall length of the Channel Tunnel is approximately 50 km in length, the longest tunnel drive was 22 km. In those days it was a rail ferry. Also of concern was the increasing traffic between the two islands. Once the tunnel was completed, all railway transport between Honshu and Hokkaido used the tunnel. The safest alternative was also the most mind-boggling… to build a tunnel under the water. The Seikan Tunnel, which travels beneath the Tsugaru Strait, is the world's longest undersea tunnel in the world. When was it built; 3. The tunnel is part of the standard gauge Hokkaido Shinkansen and the narrow gauge K… As well as regular passenger services, it's used by 50 freight trains a day, as well as sleeper services from Tokyo and Osaka. The Seikan Tunnel was made on March 13, 1988. Construction began in September 1971. Local Wonders | Who Builds Big? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The digging employed as many as 3,000 workers at one time and took 34 lives in all because of cave-ins, flooding, and other mishaps. The Seikan Tunnel (Japanese: 青函トンネル, Seikan Tonneru or 青函隧道, Seikan Zuidō), is a 53.85 km (33.46 mi) dual gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a 23.3 km (14.5 mi) long portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern island of Hokkaido. A tunnel seemed a perfect solution. Despite the tremendous engineering, construction, and financial efforts that it involved, the Seikan Tunnel is only of limited use, since air travel between Honshu and Hokkaido is quicker and is almost as cheap as rail travel through the tunnel itself. Twenty-eight years after the tunnel opened, finally a bullet train is traveling through it. SEIKAN UNDERSEA TUNNEL. Tunnels being constructed in Japan total about 600 km in length, of which railroad tunnels account for 174 km, road tunnels 122 km, subway tunnels 79 km, water tunnels for power generation 77 km, tunnels for water supply and sewerage 130 km, and tunnels for irrigation water passages 24 km. The tunnel can be enjoyed if you ride a train from Aomori City to Hakodate.,Related posts: … Seikan Tunnel: Seikan, Japan: The Seikan Tunnel is the world's longest tunnel with an undersea segment. Approximately 2,900t of explosives and 168,000t of steel were used for the tunnel construction. Three stories high and 800 feet below the sea, the main tunnel was designed to serve the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed bullet train. "The Seikan Tunnel was built through sadness, and to create a path for the bullet train. Despite its limited use, the Seikan Tunnel remains one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century. Instead, tunnel workers painstakingly drilled and blasted 33 miles through a major earthquake zone to link the main Japanese island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido. The tunnel is 53.85 km (33.49 miles) long. . The idea of building the Seikan Tunnel was introduced before the Second World War, but the actual investigation about building the tunnel was started after the war. The tunnel is 53.85 km (33.49 miles) long. Water gushed into the tunnel at a whopping rate of 80 tons per minute. There are two stations in the tunnel. During construction in 1976, tunnel workers hit a patch of soft rock with disastrous results. Nowadays, the Shinkansen offers a faster and somewhat more comfortable way to get to Aomori, but the Seikan ferry remains a good budget option. The Seikan Tunnel (青函トンネル , Seikan Tonneru) or 青函隧道 Seikan Zuidō , is a 53.85 km (33.46 mi) dual gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a 23.3 km (14.5 mi) long portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of … Length: 53 kilometers 3. The digging employed as many as 3,000 workers at one time and took 34 lives in all because of cave-ins, flooding, and other mishaps. With a length of 33.4 miles (53.8 km), it is the second longest tunnel in the world. Contents. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Seikan-Tunnel, Kids Web Japan - The Seikan Submarine Tunnel, Seikan Tunnel - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The Seikan Tunnel（Ja:青函トンネル）is a railway tunnel in Japan. In 1998, the government didn’t just build any underwater tunnel, but the deepest and longest of its kind. Updates? April 25, 2015 We began services of this year. 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