Russian Official Outlines Infrastructure Requirements for Bering Strait Tunnel Project

MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. Implementing the Bering Strait tunnel project will first require large-scale regional infrastructure development, including the construction of the Nizhny Bestyakh (Yakutia) to Uelen (Chukotka) railway line, Elena Perminova, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, told TASS.

Earlier, Kirill Dmitriev, Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Russia hopes to complete the design of the "Putin-Trump Tunnel" under the Bering Strait by the end of 2026, without ruling out China's participation.

"The implementation of the ambitious Bering Strait tunnel concept will be, without exaggeration, a major technological milestone of the 21st century," Perminova stated. "The first and most urgent step must be launching the transport corridor. However, for this megaproject to operate at full capacity, we must accelerate our own land infrastructure development. A grand bridge cannot lead to nowhere -- it must be connected to a powerful, high-tech railway."

This project has the potential to reshape the entire global economy, the senator noted, adding that it will require hundreds of billions of dollars in investments, could reorient 3% to 5% of global trade toward Russia, and will "open up incredible prospects for transcontinental tourism."

"The Far Eastern railway breakthrough from Nizhny Bestyakh to Uelen will not just be an access route to the Bering Strait bridge, but a solid foundation for Russia's technological and economic leadership in the 21st century, and the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with the United States," Perminova said.

To accelerate the process, the railway's national scale and significance should turn it into the "all-Russian construction project of the century" -- a modern equivalent to the legendary Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), the senator believes.

This artery will permanently resolve the transport isolation of Siberia’s northern regions, create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, and provide a massive boost to domestic industry, Perminova noted.

"Laying thousands of kilometers of track in extreme permafrost and a harsh Arctic climate is a tremendous challenge for engineers," she emphasized. "This is precisely where synergy must work: combining Russia's unique construction experience with advanced technologies."