Immersed tunnel beneath Bosphorus Strait connects Europe and Asia (video)

The submerged tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait opened on Tuesday, connecting the European and Asian shores of Istanbul. The railway tunnel is 13.6km (8.5miles) long and consists of a 1.4km long (0.87miles) immersed tunnel, a 9.8km (6miles) bored tunnel and a 2.4km (1.5miles) cut-and-cover and open cut.

The tunnel is a part of the Marmaray Project for an upgraded 76km long railway system. According to Turkish officials, the immersed railway tunnel is the deepest of its kind at a depth of more than 55 meters, it will mitigate Istanbul's traffic and it can sustain even a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Prefabricated elements were constructed in a dry dock, then towed to the site and were finally joined together on the seabed to complete the immersed tunnel. The rail system is expected to provide transportation for 1.5 million people every day, linking the two continents in about four minutes.

See the Marmaray Tunnel Construction in the embedded video under ''Media'' below this article.

Source: CNN, marmaray.com, MailOnline