| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | Sanyo Main Line |
| Location | Honshu-Kyushu |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1942 |
| Operator | Kyushu Railway Company |
| Character | Passengers and freights |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 3,604 m (11,824 ft)/ 3,614 m (11,857 ft) |
The Kanmon Railway Tunnel (関門鉄道トンネル, kanmon tetsudō tonneru?) was the first undersea tunnel in Japan. It goes underneath the Kanmon Straits, connecting the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū. It is an important link in the Japanese rail network. Its construction began in 1936, and it was completed in November 1942, during the Pacific War. The Honshū-bound tunnel is 3,604 m (11,824 ft) long, the Kyūshū-bound tunnel is 3,614 m (11,857 ft). Track gauge is 1.067 m (3 ft 6.0 in), and its electric power supply is at 1,500 volts DC.
Near the end of the Pacific War the Allies planned to blow up the two tunnels with 50,000 pounds of explosives as part of the invasion of Japan. 250 Office of Strategic Services agents trained for the task, but the surrender of Japan occurred before they were needed.
The Kyushu Railway Company assumed ownership of this tunnel following the breakup of the Japanese National Railways system in 1987.
Read more about this topic: Kanmon Tunnel
Famous quotes containing the words railway and/or tunnel:
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“The only way to find out anything about what kinds of lives people led in any given period is to tunnel into their records and to let them speak for themselves.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)