Greater East Asia Railroad Explained

was an idea for a railroad linking Japan with the Asian mainland and Europe, formulated in 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War leading to World War II. Part of the plan included a tunnel or bridge somewhat similar to the more recent Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel proposal.

Studied routes

A report published in 1942 titled Japanese: 大東亜縦貫鉄道に就て (About the Greater East Asia Through Railway) presents the following routes as proposals:

• , Connecting Tokyo and Syonan-to

1. TokyoShimonosekiPusanFengtian (present day Shenyang)TianjinBeijingHankouHengyangGuilinLiuzhouNanningTrấn Nam QuanXóm CụcThakhekKumphawapiBangkokPadang BesarSyonan-to (present day Singapore)
2. A separate line to 1. that splits from Tianjin for Nanjing
3. Sea route linking Nagasaki to Shanghai that merges to 1.

• , Branch line of Daiichi through railway

1. BangkokBan PongThanbyuzayatRangoon (present day Yangon)KyanginChittagong (Partially completed as the military use Thai-Burma Railway)
2. ChangshaChangdeKunmingLashioMandalayChittagong

• , Connection between Japan and its ally Germany

1. TokyoShimonosekiPusanFengtianHarbinManzhouliIrkutskMoscowBerlin (utilizes the Siberian Railway)
2. Tokyo(Kobe or Moji)TianjinZhangjiakouBaotouSuzhouAnxiHamiKashgarKabulBaghdadIstanbulBerlin (Trans-Central Asia Railway Project)
3. Tokyo(Nagasaki)ShanghaiKunmingRangoonCalcutta (present day Kolkata)PeshawarKabulBaghdadIstanbulBerlin

See also

• South Manchuria Railway
• Trans-Asian Railway
• Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

References

• Book: Japanese: 前間孝則、講談社文庫 . 1998 . ja:亜細亜新幹線－幻の東京發北京行き超特急 . ja . Tokyo . 978-4-06-263702-2.
• Book: Tetsudō Shiryō Kenkyūkai . 2003 . ja:象は汽車に乗れるか . ja . Tokyo . JTB . 978-4-533-04737-4.