Ready for a 54-Minute Underwater Train From New York to London?

It sounds impossible. Truly, a transatlantic train from New York to London sounds too good to be true.

At the same time, this age-old idea to build an underwater tunnel would literally alter international travel. And get this: it would take longer to pack and get to the train station than to travel between the United States and England.

Traveling 5,000 miles per hour would get us to London in less than an hour. A simple Google search shows that flying between these two major world cities takes around seven hours. Planes travel around 500-600 MPH. Meanwhile, a non-stop transatlantic cruise from New York to England takes seven days.

According to the Secret NYC website, the estimated cost for such a project is around $20 trillion, and given technological advancements, it appears doable at some point.

Still, it's nearly impossible to picture. It feels very sci-fi Hollywood movie. However, according to The Travel website, these are the early stages of proposals on how to build such a herculean project.

• Build the tunnel under the seabed, directly above the seabed, or a combination of both.
• Build a floating tube submerged around 165 feet below the ocean to avoid battling risky surface weather.

This wouldn’t be the first tunnel of its kind for England, as the existing Channel Tunnel, a 31-mile-long underwater railway, takes passengers from Folkstone, England to Coquelles, France. It’s currently the longest undersea tunnel, with 23.5 miles running under the English Channel.

It would take around six years to build, which sounds like no time at all. According to The Travel, many don't think it's possible. Would any government pass such funding? Would any corporation finance it? Would an insurance company underwrite it?

The Seikan Tunnel in Japan is the largest underwater tunnel in the world. It opened in 1988.

At the moment, there are nearly 200 underwater tunnels around the world. Each of the tunnels has its own purpose. Some are used for electrical and water supply, while the others are used for house road or rail connections.

Ready or not, for many, it's a simple, sarcastic question: "What could go wrong?"