The Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel or JKUT is a tunnel connecting Fukuoka and Busan in the East Asian Federation. It travels under the Korea Strait, spanning a length of almost 200 kilometers in two segments – connecting Busan Prefecture in the South Korea region with Fukuoka Prefecture in the Japan region, by way of Tsushima Island. The tunnel includes ten lanes for automobile traffic, five conventional rail tracks, and three maglev right-of-ways. It carries Federation Rail’s Interregional Connector Line for local services and New Main Line long-distance service in the tunnels’ rail portion. The tunnel construction was a joint project between the Infrastructure Advancement Corporation and Hyasoda Contract Services engineers, architects, and construction workers. Infra Corp has designed three rest stops into the design for fuel stations, food, restrooms, and a station at the midpoint for emergency personnel to respond to tunnel accidents.

Route

The road alignment begins as an extension of the Gyeongbu Expressway traveling underneath downtown Busan. A spur route branches from the main tunnel under the city to start the Busan-Geoje Fixed Link. The main route then proceeds through the beginning of the core tunnel section. The northern rail alignment continues south of Busan Station, entering a tunnel approximately 800 meters south of the station platforms. At the 62 kilometer mark is the first automobile rest station, called the North Rest station. It is equipped with restrooms, vending machines, a petrol station, and a small information center. At the 100 kilometers marks is the Midpoint Island Rest Station and the Busan-Hakata rail station, containing several amenities for weary travelers. At the 172 kilometer mark is the South Reststation. It is equipped with restrooms, a small emergency care facility, and a petrol station. The southern road portal is in downtown Fukuoka, providing local connections to city streets. The southern rail portal is west of Fukuoka, north of Karatsu City.

Midpoint Island Rest Station

The Midpoint Island Rest Station, located on Tsushima, is a traveler’s rest area at the tunnel complex’s midpoint. Modeled after the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line’s Sea Firefly rest area, The Midpoint Island Rest Station consists of a small commercial complex and residential area connected to Tsushima’s city for workers of the complex. In addition to travelers’ amenities, the rest station is home to a Nagasaki Prefectural Police barracks, a local fire and rescue service center, and a fully operational trauma center. The Tunnel Center station of the Federation Rail Interregional Connector Line allows workers and tourists easy access to the rest station and Tsushima’s nearby city.

Structure

The tunnel is composed of ten distinct bored segments; five for road and five for rail. The rail tunnels used to carry conventional local and through service are equipped with dual gauge track for standard and narrow gauge operations. The tunnel is linked to the Korea Train Express network at its north end and the Shinkansen network at its south end. At the north and south roads, rest stations are matching rail tunnel stations serving as emergency escape points in an emergency. Each station is equipped with exhaust fans, television cameras, loudspeakers, infrared fire alarm systems, and fire suppression systems.