The Seikan Tunnel in Japan is the longest tunnel with an underwater section in the world‚ measuring a total of 53.85 kilometers (33.4 miles) in length‚ around 23.3 kilometers (14.5 miles) of which is under the seabed.With the underwater section located 100 metres (328 feet) below the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait‚ the Seikan tunnel is also the second longest railway tunnel in the world‚ beaten only by the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. The longer railway tunnel in Switzerland‚ however‚ channels through mountains‚ not the seabed. The Channel Tunnel between France and the UK is the longest underwater tunnel in the world‚ with an undersea section that’s 38 kilometers (23 miles) long. However‚ the Seikan Tunnel – including sections not under the seabed – is longer overall and deeperIt took many decades to get this engineering megaproject off the ground. A decisive moment in its inception occurred in 1954‚ when Typhoon Marie struck Japan and sank five ferry boats crossing the Tsugaru Strait. In total‚ 1‚430 people lost their lives. Shaken by the maritime tragedy‚ Japan started to explore safer options for mass transportation across the Tsugaru Strait. In 1955‚ the Japanese National Railways launched a study to see whether a tunnel beneath the channel would be feasible. Excavations began in 1964‚ but the project was riddled with mishaps. It wasn’t until 1971 that construction on the main Seikan Tunnel began. The main tunnel breakthrough was achieved in 1985 and it was finally opened in 1988. Part of the construction also involved two undersea stations‚ one on the coast of each island. All in all‚ the tunnel’s construction cost an eye-watering Â¥689 billion (around $4.6 billion). Some estimates put the figure at Â¥1.1 trillion ($7 billion)‚ although it’s unclear where this figure came from. Either way‚ the project cost a hell of a lot of money. Fortunately‚ the Seikan Tunnel is well-used. It’s estimated that around 50 trains travel through the tunnel per day‚ including both freight and passenger services. It’s even capable of supporting Japan’s famous Shinkansen bullet trains‚ which have a top speed of 320 kilometers (199 miles) per hour.The Seikan Tunnel allows passengers to travel from Tokyo to Hakodate‚ one of the main cities on Hokkaido‚ on a route called the Hokkaido Shinkanse. The journey via the Seikan Tunnel takes just over 4 hours and costs Â¥23‚120 ($150).By 2030‚ Japan hopes to extend this route all the way to Sapporo‚ the capital of the mountainous northern island Hokkaido. This journey is set to take roughly 5 hours.

A submersible studying the underneath of the so-called "doomsday glacier" in Antarctica has gone missing during its latest expedition. The uncrewed underwater vehicle (AUV) named Ran uses sensors to investigate the surrounding water‚ during sometimes long explorations underneath ice. On its latest trip to the Thwaites Glacier – sometimes known as the doomsday glacier as it could potentially raise the world's sea levels by several meters if it melts – the submersible dove underneath the 200–500 meter (650-1600 feet) thick ice.“This was the second time we took Ran to Thwaites Glacier to document the area under the ice‚" Anna WÃ¥hlin‚ Professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg‚ said in a statement."Thanks to Ran‚ we became the first researchers in the world to enter Thwaites in 2019‚ and during the current expedition we have visited the same area again. Even if you see melting and movements in the ice from satellite data‚ from Ran we get close-ups of the underside of the ice and information about exactly which mechanisms are behind the melting."   During dives‚ the submersible does not have constant contact with the researchers operating it. Instead‚ the AUV follows a pre-programmed route‚ and uses an advanced navigation system to find its way back from underneath the ice to open water. After several successful dives underneath the ice in January‚ however‚ during one trip Ran failed to appear at the rendezvous point. Despite searches with acoustic equipment‚ drones‚ and helicopters‚ the team has been unable to locate Ran since.Ran in happier times.Image credit: Anna WÃ¥hlin“It’s a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack‚ but without even knowing where the haystack is‚" WÃ¥hlin said. "At this point‚ Ran’s batteries are dead. All we know is that something unexpected happened under the ice. We suspect it ran into trouble‚ and then something prevented it from getting out."The team believes this is likely sadly the end for Ran‚ though they note it is a better end for the submersible than aging and gathering dust in a garage. They now plan on replacing the submersible‚ and continuing its important research.

What are the Skull and Bones Twitch drops? Grabbing some friends and taking to the high seas for some fast-paced piracy seems like a great way to spend a weekend‚ but Ubisoft has an extra surprise up its sleeve. Working with Twitch‚ the developer has made Twitch drops available throughout the open beta weekend from February 8 to February 11. To earn yourself the Skull and Bones Twitch drops‚ you'll need to complete a few steps first. With the Skull and Bones release date right around the corner‚ we're unsure whether more Twitch drops will be made available in the future‚ but here's how you can get your hands on the currently available ones. Continue reading All Skull and Bones Twitch drops February 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best pirate games‚ Skull and Bones release date‚ Skull and Bones system requirements

It might be harder than you think to buy a Steam Deck OLED from Valve‚ particularly if you're a new Steam account owner. In an attempt to prevent scalpers from getting hands on the Steam Deck OLED only to sell it at a higher price‚ Valve is outright canceling orders it thinks are suspicious‚ or asking for additional info before allowing the unit to ship. It's no secret that we rate the Steam Deck OLED as one of the best handheld gaming PCs‚ and you can only buy them brand new directly from Valve. While this could be viewed as limiting the market‚ it does allow for anti-scalper measures to be properly implemented like they are in this situation. Continue reading Valve might cancel your Steam Deck purchase‚ if you look suspicious MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming

Asus has just extended its OLED gaming monitor warranty to now cover burn-in problems for a period of three years‚ having introduced cover that lasts two years just just a few days ago. That's seemingly because in the intervening time MSI said its own warranties would offer the longer three-year period‚ and Asus wasn't to be out done. Asus and MSI have been rivals for many years‚ with the two firms constantly in battle to produce the best motherboards‚ best graphics cards‚ best gaming laptops‚ and even best gaming handhelds from their respective Taipei-based headquarters. While that battle has sometimes left consumers worse off - such as with the recent rival cable-free motherboard standards of Asus BTF and MSI Project Zero - the latest development is one that should benefit us all. Continue reading Asus and MSI are feuding again‚ and this time we all benefit MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ review‚ Asus ROG Raikiri review‚ Best gaming motherboard

The latest budget eight-core CPU from AMD has just landed like an airship made from a particularly heavy metal‚ as its gaming performance is well below expectations. The problem with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is all down to its cache‚ or rather its lack of it‚ not only in comparison to the beefed up Ryzen 7 5700X3D‚ but also when you put it next to the veteran Ryzen 7 5700X. Continue reading AMD’s new 8-core CPU is bad news for gamers MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

As is typical with VR games‚ most eventually bleed onto all available platforms over time. After initially launching on the Meta Quest 3 and PSVR 2‚ Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice is now live on Steam‚ and you can save 20% as part of a launch window deal. Our Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice review highlights how impressed we were with the latest release from Fast Travel Games‚ calling it "a true display of what modern VR gaming is". Continue reading One of 2023’s best VR games is now on Steam‚ and it’s 20% off MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming

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