For centuries, the inhabitants of the Eurasian continent have been pondering how to cross the vast tundra that separates Europeans from their Asian neighbors cheaply and quickly. And when the Soviet Union completed the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1916, this dream came a big step closer to being realized. In 2011, there were talks about extending the railway line via a tunnel to Alaska. Now, in the 2020s, there may soon be another leap forward.

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Hints of an extension of the railway line to connect it to Japan have generated much press attention and intrigue. In 2016, Japan expressed interest in connecting to the Trans-Siberian Railway, and in 2017, Russia proposed taking this idea forward and building a bridge between mainland Russia and the Russian island of Sakhalin. From there, the Trans-Siberian Railway could then theoretically connect to the Japanese rail network across the short gulf to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. In fact, the two countries have coordinated test deliveries, and some work to increase the capacity of the railway line in anticipation of such an extension has been completed.

But given the lack of press attention, progress seems to have stalled. For one thing, the war in Ukraine may have diverted resources and attention from such plans, and it is unclear how much cohesion and cooperation actually lies behind the proposal. Nevertheless, political obstacles aside, such a transcontinental endeavor is still feasible.

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Extending the Siberian railway to Tokyo would certainly require sophisticated engineering, but it is possible and potentially economically feasible. How would a railway linking London and Tokyo actually work? Let’s dive into the details.

There have been several sensational headlines about a proposal to “link London to Tokyo.” But these claims are misleading. First of all, the plan seems to focus on trade routes, although such a rail link would also enable passenger traffic. It is primarily aimed at reducing the cost of transporting Eastern goods to Europe via costly sea shipping routes. This is probably why test runs involved sending Japanese goods to Moscow, a single load of products that had to be transported across oceans.

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This is where the railroad tracks end and the crossing begins: Russia’s Sakhalin island lies north of Japan’s Hokkaido island. At Sakhalin’s southernmost point lies the port of Vostochny, while Hokkaido’s northernmost point is home to the port of Kobe. The two ports are separated by about 27 miles of ocean. Crossing the gulf is relatively easy for ships, but that nonetheless means that the proposed railway would not actually connect the two countries. (Some sources mention a bridge between Sakhalin and Hokkaido, but there aren’t many details.)

While the bay between Sakhalin and Hokkaido would likely have to be crossed by ship, a bridge between the Russian mainland and Sakhalin is definitely under discussion. One proposal from Russia aims precisely at building a 28-mile bridge connecting the mainland to the island, which would be the most significant step in extending the international reach of the railway.

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Therefore, Japan’s connection to the Trans-Siberian Railway will probably not be a direct one. The two countries would need to be connected by ship across the sea. Once Japanese cargo arrives at this Russian port, it could be connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway. The same transoceanic exchange could apply to international travelers.

A quick search on the internet suggests that the hype surrounding a Trans-Siberian link to Japan has died down in recent years, with more recent reports only sporadic. Due to the war in Ukraine, resources may be diverted, including railroad tracks and bridges. But whatever the reason, no such bridge has been built yet.

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However, the relationship between Japan and Russia is also a potential obstacle that could prove even more difficult to overcome than geography. The planned crossing lies in the middle of the Kuril Islands, the main point of contention that led to the two countries not signing a peace treaty after World War II. In fact, the Russo-Japanese War is one of the reasons why Russia still uses armored military trains.

The proposal has been called a “bridge through history.” The plan was originally proposed by Russia, possibly in an attempt to make a peace offer to Japan. And from the Japanese side, most of the investment would come through private companies. Two logistics companies, Toyo Trans and Hankyu Hanshin Express, are behind the test shipments, which are transporting goods from Japan to Vladivostok (a Russian port connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway). Connecting to Japanese railway lines would increase speed, as Japan has one of the fastest railway lines in the world.

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It seems, then, that the logistics behind a Trans-Siberian link to Japan would involve private Japanese companies and Russian state funding for public works projects. Whether the historical dispute between the two countries can be circumvented by the companies’ simple desire to find cheaper shipping routes remains to be seen.