The Interoceanic Corridor: Mexico's Attempt at a Panama Canal

[@megaprojects9649]

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[@ConsummateDragon]

It's unbelievable. How could anyone make their own content and insert their own opinion?! Absolutely ridiculous!

[@chrismiller5940]

There are 3 classes of containerships that don't fit through the Panama Canal: VLCS (Very Large Containership) - fisrt built in 2006 with a capacity of 11,000 to 15,000 TEUs ULCS (Ultra Large Containership) - first built in 2013 with a capacity of 18,000 to 21,000 TEUs MGX-24 (expanded capacity ULCS) - first built in 2019 with a capacity of 21,000 to 25,000 TEUs a TEU is a standard 20 ft long container and a single rail car can hold 4 (2 long x2 high). It would require 2750 rail cars to move the cargo of the smallest capacity ship that can't fit through the canal. A typical longer train is 120 cars but can be upwards of 200 cars so it would require about 14 trains. The largest ship would require 6250 rail cars and require about 22 trains at about 200 cars each.

[@t-bone8404]

I'd say that's fair. But ships hardly dump all their cargo at just 1 port.

[@gamelard1963]

ive seen lots of trains double stack containers on rail cars.

[@crosshairs007]

​@@t-bone8404 They would be if they were just transporting it over the isthmus to another boat on the other side.

[@chrismiller5940]

@@gamelard1963 If you look you will see I calculated for that.

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

@@gamelard1963 They said for 20ft Containers, 2 containers long, and two high, so like ❎❎ ❎❎

[@pengyfelix]

More Megaproject videos on infrastructure, please! These break up the monotony of Military Vehicle Of The Week vids.

[@geofflepper3207]

And Megaprojects tend to have real names vs a lot of military equipment versions which seem to have names that include a series of random letters or numbers that are difficult to remember.

[@patrickmurphy2975]

Panama is also having a drought that has caused it to decrease ship traffic through the canal due to its reliance on fresh water to power the canal it uses a staggering amount of water to move ships through it everyday.

[@MikeBaxterABC]

Yes good point, I was surprised Simon didn't mention it (maybe that's a separate, upcoming video) The drought might be LONG lasting too! ... They're thinking of digging a giant trench north to tap more water reserves! But that would take MANY years, *IF* they get it started.

[@SternLX]

The only way I've heard that they can fix and expand the Panama Canal is to start installing Massive Pumping stations to use Sea water for all the Locks below the lake. Problem is that much salt water would start to ruin the ecology along the canal. It's a catch 22 since desalinating the water first is not feasible.

[@kerrycalvert2808]

@@SternLX Another method is to not discard all the water in lock every cycle. This has been implemented in at least one lock. It is a multi-billion dollar investment to retrofit a significant percentage of the locks, but it is doable. The Panama Canal Authority has also proposed adding another reservoir. Again, doable, just need financing. As of 8/22/2024 the Gatun lake is 1 ft above the average level over the last 5 years and 5 ft above levels from last year. So there is always the "let nature solve the problem with more rain" contingency that suppresses the motivation for a massive financial investment.

[@MarkoVukovic0]

Thanks, I had no idea they were using fresh water.

[@David_Rafuse]

@@MarkoVukovic0 Yes, Gatun Lake was a man-made lake created during the canal's construction. It's used as the reservoir to flood the locks.

[@centredoorplugsthornton4112]

The trains shown at 7:20 are not the Interoceanic but the Tren Maya, Mexico's other big rail project, connecting Cancun, Campeche and Palenque.

[@ylu5384]

- "What shall we put on the first train testing out the upgraded railway?" - "2 tanks of Hydrofluoric Acid" Absolute gigachad move right there!

[@martinstallard2742]

2:39 new world new route 6:15 the modern project begins 9:22 economic and cultural impact

[@christopheralejandromezapa8934]

Pipe dream of the president.

[@KentBunn]

One other fun side effect of the Mexican corridor option is it can be used as an end run around the Jones Act. If Cargo begins and ends in the US, but is unloaded in Mexico, and re-loaded in Mexiico on the other coast, then it's no longer an issue to adhere to Jones shipping rules for US flagged ships, etc.

[@ASmithee67]

It's well known that in terms of shipping costs it goes water/sea --> rail --> truck --> air. The new Mexican rail could possibly be an supplement to the Panama canal, but not.a replacement.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

Considering the Panama Canal is destined to permanently close in the near future due to not having enough water to operate the Locks, the Mexico Rail line will replace, not supplement it... At the current rate, the Canal will require a COMPLETE rebuild from one end to the other into a sea-level canal if it wants to remain in operation and that would cost Billions and take years that it doesn't have...unless it finds a MASSIVE new source of water and soon, I don't think it will survive more than 5-7 more years before running out of water and not being able to pass even a tugboat through a Lock...

[@darks7504]

Mexico its replacing China to become one of the main manufacturers in the world, the plan its move most manufacturing from China and Europe to the ITSMO area. So shipments through the pacific and Atlantic oceans will be dramatically reduced, because the factories are moving to that location. Companies save time and money, because the shipping time is reduced, and they also save money in manufacturing and shipping. On the other hand 85% of extreme poverty in Mexico is from that area, so industrializing that area along with the Mayan train, will boost the local economy and eradicate most extreme poverty in Mexico. It's a win-win for everyone.

[@neutrino78x]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan "unless it finds a MASSIVE new source of water and soon, " They can't use seawater? That's about as massive a source of water as possible.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

@@neutrino78x True, but the lake in the center of the Canal is freshwater, so unless they want to poison it and kill every living thing in it as well as any locals that rely on it for their Fresh Water, sea water is not a viable option...

[@neutrino78x]

@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan hmm very interesting. Just looked it up, was unaware of the lake. 🙂

[@mercenarygrip]

Absolutely amazing amount of words considering the amazing lack of pertinent information.

[@ryhanpeacefeather9278]

Well! I am one of the many people who never heard of this project. Very exciting prospects. Thanks for the video!

[@ericktellez7632]

It’s not meant to replace the canal, it’s supposed to work in tandem with the canal, taking load and pressure from the canal that has been hurt by drought for the past couple of years. Also the main attraction is the industrial parks being build alongside the trains, basically bring in parts or the materials and then creating the cargo or half of it in there and then send it to the other side in trains.

[@vincentgrinn2665]

hopefully its explained in the vid, but this doesnt really compete with the panama cannal, it doesnt move goods from one side to the other its basically a giant assembly line, it takes in raw goods from one ocean and spits out finished products in the other

[@Idonotwanthandle]

Yes, like industrial park which happen to have ports in two oceans.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

If I was going on a cruise I would still want to transit the Panama Canal for the experience. Thank you for the video!

[@poodlescone9700]

This corridor will not displace the Panama Canal. It will be for everyone who can afford the time and effort to offload cargo in Mexico first. Many people will still not want to offload cargo ships when they can transit the Panama Canal such as ships to Europe.

[@williambrock3534]

With ships getting larger they may not have sn option because the panama canal isnt big enough

[@flixri726]

@@williambrock3534 transportation is cheap on the mile and everything you send via container really isn't that much dependable on a "fast" transport. The cost in labour and construction not to mention maintenance of at least 2 huge harbours and several arteries through the continent for different kinds of freight is humongous. All that in a rather unstable country with a lot of corruption. It will be cheaper to take the long route or wait till there is a passable northern passage.

[@eliaschevette]

As crazy as it sounds it is faster to unload and reload that to deal with the waits on the panama canal. What the corridor is going to do is act as a relief valve for the canal making transportation from the Pacific to the Atlantic much more reliable and cheaper.

[@flixri726]

@@eliaschevette unloading and loading is literally the most costly process in container transport just for using a more expensive and less reliable transport in between. I mean, you can maybe pipeline oil but as soon as you start to talk about bulk cargo the economics break down totally because those are barely profitable to transport once. Even pipelining crude doesn't make sense or there wouldn't be panamax oil carriers etc.

[@AtomKay-l9t]

Actually, this is kind of the whole benefit of intermodal shipping.

[@venox3811]

I work in the industry, there is already a very efficient railroad from Balboa to Manzanillo Panama that carries cargo from Pacific to Atlantic Ocean and there is no way in hell can move 10K + container efficiently as a container vessels. The Mexico railroad could happen but never replace the canal. The demand just isn’t there.

[@LucasJackson_37]

It also overlooks two mitigating factors .. 1) large and powerful cartels 2) extreme government corruption (not to say they are all aren't corrupt)

[@ebolawarrior451]

The demand isn’t there yet. That’s the basis of it.

[@ericzaiz8358]

At the moment the Canal is having water issues to run the locks. This can take off if the canal suffers more issues due to it being the only other way to get cargo across besides the line you mentioned. Better then nothing or going around the horn.

[@venox3811]

@@ebolawarrior451 doubt it’ll get there though.

[@venox3811]

@@ericzaiz8358 the canal is near back to normal levels.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Think the corridor was always meant to serve to kickstart a new industrial district where Chinese and other countries could export subassemblies products to for final assembly and export within the NAFTA framework. Mexico needs to expand the areas that can provide jobs and this is a good start. PS - if something should impact the Panama Canal, so much the better.

[@SaintKimbo]

Yes, this is what the naysayers don't realize. Sure, unloading a giant cargo ship full of containers and sending those containers by rail seems a little inefficient, but what if a lot of those containers from Europe/Asia DON'T have to be reloaded, and instead are used by factories built in the area to create products with cheap Mexican labor? With plenty of Manufacturers looking to get out of, increasingly politically unstable China, Mexico could become an industrial powerhouse with it's close proximity to the US market.. Makes a lot of sense.

[@real_MacrocosM]

A better story tbh is the fact that the Panama canal itself has a 'water' problem. The channel RealLifeLore covered this in a recent video, in depth and its really interesting. Also, his video contains a fair bit more dense information than this one. Intriguing economic and geographic considerations.

[@duncancurtis5108]

No word on Chinese dosh being bunged to pay for it. Nice to see HSTs getting a new use.

[@retiree1033]

I had to take a closer look.

[@Grynslvr2]

Over 50 years ago, in a social studies class in high school, the teacher mentioned that the U.S. had a contingency plan for building a better canal through Nicaragua, using at least one of its large lakes and maybe some rivers. Anyone else remember this?

[@RochelleLang]

I do

[@geofflepper3207]

I believe that Nicaragua still has some thoughts of building a canal. But thoughts and actually building are two different things.

[@Grynslvr2]

@@geofflepper3207 That sounds about right. Locally, on the Texas gulf coast, the locals have been talking about building a bridge for over 60 years and can't seem to come up with a plan they can stick to, nor the huge funding to span the mouth of the Houston ship channel. I imagine that things are the same down there. I think both projects would be great, but what do I know.

[@leroythemaster4268]

Yes. I have studied the Nicaragua plan with much interest. It is a very simple route but they have a commie leader that is nuts so plans are stalled.

[@Grynslvr2]

@@leroythemaster4268 Thanks for the input. I kinda figured it was something like that.

[@nolongerblocked6210]

I'd love to see a prosperous Mexico

[@bongcrosby5598]

I live in Mexico and this country is very good about talking about and even planning big projects but they have a hell of a time seeing them to completion. I know of several big (mega) projects in my area that were started and never finished or have been talked about for decades. Not to mention, they have a tough time maintaining the projects the finish. I'm not holding my breath for this one.

[@enriquevazquez9746]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@WakoJacKooo]

Simon your just missing a pipe and top hat now to look like that favourite uncle who tells good family stories at family parties ❤❤🎉🎉🎉

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

Panama needs a fourth locks expansion, it needs to make those locks many stages to minimize water use, and it needs to electrically pump nearly all of that water back uphill.

[@JohnBerry-q1h]

In another documentary, it has been said that the Panama Canal is running out of water. The Panama Canal is actually a series of locks that go up and over a rise in elevation. The supply of water, near the top of the locks, is supposedly decreasing, which reduces the number of ships that can pass through the locks.

[@tripsaplenty1227]

huh? locks raise and lower the water and the water comes from the Ocean. It won't run out.

[@JohnBerry-q1h]

@@tripsaplenty1227 According to the documentary, the Panama Canal is dependent upon some water source that is near the "top lock", and, supposedly, this water source is contributing less water, with each passing year. In fact, there is another comment in this Comment Section that mentions the same reported problem.

[@danlowe8684]

Yes, but according to the rain charts, it simply isn't true that they are experiencing a drought. Panama gets nearly of all its rain from May to December. Then they have four months of very little rain. The man-made reservoir only holds 4.2 million acre-feet of water. The canal uses 2.5M and the population uses 0.5M = 3.0M acre-ft used per year. Take away evaporation and seepage (10%), reserve (10%), and you are left with only 13 months of operating water with a full reservoir. It doesn't take much of a 'drought' to sound the alarm. This is grossly under designed and was well known to all involved. Now they simply blame 'drought' and 'climate change' as they auction off 'extra' passages through each day to the highest bidder during 'water emergencies'.

[@tripsaplenty1227]

@@JohnBerry-q1h this unnamed documentary said something about some water source supposedly doing something? Convincing info. Very specific.

[@Cuuniyevo]

@@tripsaplenty1227 I believe they're referring to a Real Life Lore video here on KZbin. It's from 6 months ago, titled "Why the Panama Canal is Dying".

[@jessicajohnson8416]

Why is the into/outro music SO LOUD? Drives me nuts.

[@georgepratt3721]

A basic logistics problem with the project. A double stacked train could move 500 TEU of cargo. Some of the bigger ship carry 18000 TEU. So it would take 36 train load to move one big ship worth of cargo. This new project could handle may 5 ships a day which is a small fraction of Panama. And how do you move non-container cargo by train.

[@karlbrundage7472]

This scheme sounds like it's set-up for "Express" shipping, that can by-pass the bottleneck at the P/C and get a container across the isthmus and onto another fast ship for rapid delivery. Obviously there would be added costs, but some cargoes are worth it for fast delivery.

[@phizc]

Yeah, it's definitely not a competitor to the Panama Canal, but it complement it nicely. E.g. container ships from Europe offloads on the Atlantic side cargo destined for various ports on the Pacific side where it's loaded on smaller ships headed south or north, or cargoes from multiple ships are loaded onto large ships doing the same. Basically 2 trans-shipment ports on 2 different seas joined by railroads. I too thought "replacing" the Panama Canal with a rail system is a non-starter. I thought the video was about a new canal before I watched it. 😅

[@dallasarnold8615]

Not to mention all the extra time of offloading the ship, loading the train, then off loading the train and loading another ship on the other coast. And ships do not sit idle at no cost.

[@danielharnden516]

Meanwhile, Panama is upgrading its water supplies…..competition 😊

[@edomarpez1840]

How do you move non-container cargo by train? cargo trains have existed since forever. Some years ago, the cargo wasn't moved in separate containers but in those built in the trains

[@zh84]

9:51 This looks exactly like Britain's high speed diesel engine known as the InterCity 125 - and it is: the Wikipedia article on the "British Rail Class 43 (HST)" says that "In early August 2023, three power cars and 11 Mark 3 coaches were exported to Mexico for use on the Tren Interoceánico." Three power cars is enough to run one and a half trains, which is a bit odd. I suppose one is a spare.

[@tHebUm18]

A railroad isn't even the same order of magnitude capable of moving cargo as a ship. This is not at all an attempt at a Panama Canal. Pretty misleading. No one in their right mind would send a massive ship to a port, unload it, spend days or weeks moving the contents by train, then load up another massive ship in another port, and then continue onto the actually desired destination.

[@Ayaati]

There have been times the Panama canal had had wait times that long... so maybe. And if there is a pipeline in the gulf of Mexico side and loading on the pacific side then getting American oil and gas to Asia would be significantly shortened.

[@4362mont]

The "shrink" woukd be devastating, with or without _la mordida._

[@MrFreakHeavy]

​@@Ayaatiit's not about time, it's about money. It would be really costly to do it. It would be faster, but would you rather ir be fast or cheaper? It's really not that more expensive to take longer, in fact, ships travel at slower speeds today thay they did before with the same cargo... because it's fuel efficient (i.e. cheaper).

[@MrFreakHeavy]

That's what the president is claiming. The project should be aimed at creating industry. Move materials to the zone, maken products with cheap labor, and ship them out. It would be such a important hub given our proximity to US (and Europe).

[@questioner1596]

There are train cars that fit shipping containers, so the offloading process wouldn't be as intensive as actually removing the contents from each container; rather, you'll simply crane the containers from the ship to the train. Might actually be useful if half the load is going to California and the other half to BC, for example.

[@YinCaotheButcher]

Thanks for the knowledge of the content. To speak about logistics a bit. It takes 10 hours to navigate the canal. It would take a minimum of 16 hours just to travel the rail distance. That does not include the time to unload and then load and then unload and reload again at the next port. It might be a viable back-up for the cargo vessels that get delayed at the canal (up to 2 months), but what would be the expected delay times with the railway ports?

[@GrantMcWilliams]

Maybe you missed something because the tracks are only 200 miles long. 16 hours?

[@davidponce1901]

Worked on setting up the interoceanic rail first shippent mid 2024. Shippment consisted of domestic white corn.

[@bartonabrams3433]

Hope they pull it off, Mexico needs the income and it takes the stress off Panama so they can see about enlarging the canal not to mention if Mexico gets it up and running they could look into cutting their own canal capable of handling the super cargo ships

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

The limiting factor in larger ships is already the time+cost of unloading them. We're talking about adding a minimum of about 4 days to a large container ship's journey.

[@williamsheets9539]

11:16--Why is the Nostalgia Critic against the Panama Canal?

[@normmcrae1140]

The Panama Canal is also dealing with a Water Crisis - No water = NO CANAL.

[@itarry4]

Yhea they really need to find a way to use sea water in the canal. I know it will be very difficult and cost a lot but if it's that or totally lose the use of the canal then..... I mean the basic idea of pumping sea water to various places in the canal sounds fairly simple but I'm sure it's far harder than it sounds.

[@normmcrae1140]

@@itarry4 If they used sea water - it would POISON all the land around it.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

Dry Canal - Often constructed on a thin strip of land; a dry canal is a corridor built that connects 2 water bodies by one/some/all of rail/road/power/communication systems in a defined corridor....

[@ex-engineer6657]

I'm amazed that you don't mention the problems with the Panama canal running out of water, draining the canal zone and environs of clean water needed by the inhabitants to survive.

[@alexanderf8451]

I have no doubt there's a useful railroad there. But it doesn't compete with the Panama Canal in any serious way. Think of how enormous the trains would be. Modern panamax ships can have 16,000 containers. Those have to be unloaded from the ship onto dozens of trains, then moved, then unloaded from those dozens of trains onto another ship. The Panama canal can manage two three dozen ships that size a day depending on Panama's own water needs. Realistically they're going to be shipping less than 1% of the canal's capacity.

[@SaintKimbo]

Yes, but there are side benefits and alternatives that could be very advantageous for Mexico. One, Mexican labor is cheap and major industry can be set up to simply use the cargo in Mexico and produce for North America and the world. Two, rail connections can easily be made to hook up with the US freight network and send goods directly into the US instead of reloading.

[@larryscott3982]

Panama canal’s woes are in large part due to its dependence on the watershed which feeds it. It’s shipping capacity has been reduced by changing rainfall patterns which reduce frequency of lock cycles, which has also forced reduced tonnage. Which also log jams the passage. So Panama Canal can’t just manage and modernize itself to remain the top dog in shipping passage. An overland system of rails would not be susceptible to dwindling water supply in a watershed.

[@luisgomez3936]

This ambitious project will be an economic boost to this part of Mexico and will also increase economic opportunities for Guatemala and Belize, since it will provide employment opportunities that will circumvent the need for many of their people to make their way north to the U.S.! The pacific rim countries and China will have a quick and efficient way of transporting their cargo aimed at the eastern U.S. and Europe plus the 10 industrial parks along this route can contribute added value to some of the materials being transported! In addition the railway system is getting an overhaul and will have connectivity to the rest of Mexico and up into the U.S.! Already there are giant ferries that will haul railway containers from Vera Cruz to Alabama!

[@Phil_AKA_ThundyUK]

I thought it was going to be an actual canal :D lol

[@dinsdalemontypiranha4349]

Me too!

[@SnowmanTF2]

The idea for one in Nicaragua has been looked at several times, but still seems long odds that actually happens. With the most recent attempt gaining Chinese interest around 2013 and finally officially canceled early this year.

[@mayakovski]

The title is a bit click-bait.

[@Phil_AKA_ThundyUK]

@@mayakovski Yeh. I suppose they do have to be a bit to get the views sometimes

[@jim.pearsall]

Thailand is also considering a similar “land bridge” project across the isthmus of Kra to bypass the Strait of Malacca.

[@jvin248]

Follow up video: what it takes to put a canal through that corridor to compete with Panama for no offloading/rail/loading. Panama locks are only 110ft wide. Make slightly wider and get "Boring Machines" from that US company to cut through the peninsula. One or two locks to accommodate Atlantic vs Pacific tides. Or trade off travel time for more locks and less tunneling. English Channel Tunnel goes 377ft underwater which is half as high as the elevation across Mexico's corridor and no water pressure to contend with. English Channel Tunnels are 25ft wide, combined together that is half as wide as the Panama locks (sure, a large arch is needed). A challenging project certainly but does not seem unfeasible.

[@besanit]

A sea level canal is an engineering and ecological nightmare, there was a plan to make a canal in Nicaragua that got shot down for these and social and political reasons. A chinese "company" was heavily involved in it

[@FreeSpeech-q7v]

Love more corridors and canal's

[@jorgeantonioarmentasanseba9900]

This Mexican project is no intended to end the Panama canal, as a matter of fact, it has not being plan as a competitor to the Panama canal. It is intended to help out the Panama canal. It’s being plan to move, in it’s most optimal point, 10% of the merchandise that is mobilize by the Panama canal yearly. Remember, the Panama canal is used for other types of ships, not only cargo ships.

[@Irkennalpha]

Interested to see all those old farts (Adan Lopez, Andres Manuel Lopez) featured in your channel. As a Mexican citizen, those projects are necessary for the development of the country. However it's the details on the implementation that also matter a lot, such as using the Mexican Army and Navy to construct the projects, declaring them of National Interest and thus obscuring all the transparency policies that took a lot of effort to become standard in the country.

[@SharkytheGunzel]

Modernise the railways, using 50 year old Second hand locos and coaches from the UK!

[@GrantMcWilliams]

The primary case for the FIT is freight so picking up some perfectly good working HSTs from the UK that like a lot of trainsets there were still being run after 40 years (we'll ignore your math for a bit) perfectly fine just adds value to the corridor. In case you haven't noticed Mexico is also building 1500 km of new railway for the Tren Maya and it gets all new trainsets built by Alstom because at least for now it's primary use case is passenger rail.

[@centredoorplugsthornton4112]

They also got some old Amfleet and Heritage cars from Amtrak and commuter cars from Connecticut.

[@dadgarage7966]

I watched a video on here about how the capacity of the Panama Canal is dictated by how much fresh water Panama can get and store, heavily reliant on climate and geography.

[@elvfrem]

The Nostalgia Critic jumpscare hahaha

[@Scilence23]

it feels like little was said in this video

[@Dr.RichardBanks]

I kind of felt the same way, wish there was more in the infrastructure side rather than business and economic benefits. Maybe he could do that on a business channel like business blaze? I think that has a catchy name to it

[@chronicle_4]

He has way too many yt channels that offers nothing. Everytime i see him as the presenter, i just click not recommend channel

[@real_MacrocosM]

Yeah I'm getting this way too.

[@tonycrabtree3416]

Y’all salty AF! 😂😂

[@james2042]

The only reason this is feasible is due to them planning a bunch of industry along the route, so all that industry gets direct rail access to a port on each side of the world and can be shipped out appropriately. The coast to coast freight transit is just a bonus at that point, but this project will live or die by the industry that sets up shop along the rail, not the rail itself

[@inyobill]

04:44: By the time any sort of link was completed, the gold rush would have been long over. There was still a demand, Grant and Sherman, for instance, made the trip three times each, if memory serves (big if).

[@JamesWjRose]

In case this is ok; A few years ago I recorded the entire Panama Transit, nearly 11 hours, all in real time: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4uooJpsnd15rcUsi=jAAKdGi7UvMHsWVv (*I* have not placed any adverts on this) (if this is rude, let me know I'll delete the comment)

[@karlbrundage7472]

Seems on-point to me. Thanks for the input............

[@earnestbrown6524]

When I was in the USN my ship did a transit. We were allowed to travel a bit faster then most vessels during the areas that had no traffic. It was a fun day.

[@TheKlink]

thank you!!

[@robertf3479]

@@earnestbrown6524 I made two round trips of the canal in USS Caron back in the 80s. A very interesting trips both times.

[@earnestbrown6524]

@@robertf3479 Our cruise went from Mayport down South America through the passage up South America then transit and back home. Hit a number of nice ports along the way.

[@salazarmandragora]

I love your videos including seeing you struggle with Mexican names

[@brianniegemann4788]

It's a fascinating idea. But it sounds like it would have to be 40 tracks wide to carry 10,000 containers a day - if you want to replace the Panama Canal. It's an 8 hour trip by train along the proposed route. At 500 containers per train, that's 20 trains every 8 hours - each way. But if Mexico only wants to get the VLCC traffic, capacity to load / unload 200 containers a day and 4 to 8 tracks would probably be enough. That's still twice the capacity of Baltimore or Los Angeles, the biggest ports on the American coasts. The cost would be astronomical, probably beyond the reach of a country the size of Mexico. Still, they could start small and give it a try.

[@jossdeiboss]

I have good hopes for this project: when everybody in the world want something, that something will eventually happen. No, this link will not be a competitor to the canal, but an alternative solution for goods that need fast delivery and are expensive enough to cover unload/load costs. As for corruption, I don't think it will ever be a big problem because, again, there are too many countries that are desperate to use this new rail link and will not allow corruption to completely destroy the project. Do you think that USA would let some local cartel to disrupt shipment? It is more probable that they would go all the way to get rid of those people with secret agencies etc than let the project die.

[@kellybasham3113]

Love your videos

[@michaeldowson6988]

That new Mexican rail line will be linked to the Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental system, since they bought the Kansa City Southern rail system.

[@SaintKimbo]

Yes, I was thinking that, why bother transporting the freight over land and reloading it, when you could build connections and just rail the freight directly into and across the USA, straight to the cities, through the already established US freight line network?

[@OldAndGettingOlder]

If a bridge could span the Bearing Strait, I wonder if shipping by train would be feasible? This strait connects the entire world together with the exception of down under.

[@bryanpetersen1334]

I have a stupid question. Can anyone tell me what the advantage is from creating multiple channels with similar content by one creator? It must create more income than concentrating on one massive channel. Even I can recognize the genius of a completely bald man promoting hair loss prevention products. Bravo!

[@tHebUm18]

2:53 Did they correctly identify that? Because Panama is definitely narrower and also separates the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean.

[@rdspam]

Panama is not “a shipping lane through Mexico” 2:43

[@Awakeandalive1]

As a former resident of the Puente de las Americas, I feel the need to point out that the Panama Canal was a success because Panama doesn't really have earthquakes -- a similar project in Nicaragua was abandoned because of the region's propensity for earthquakes and, sadly, Mexico has the same issue Nicaragua has.

[@josemondragon5311]

This is pretty good, AI sure has come a very long way, can’t fool me though!

[@gr12321]

Sorry, as an engineer, I couldn’t help to do a quick feasibility study. I am not a transportation expert so please correct me if I got anything wrong: The largest container ships that don’t fit through the Panama Canal are the Post-Panamax. They can hold up to 20,000 containers (TEUs). For refernce, thelargest container ships that could fit through the Panama Canal are the NeoPanamax. They can hold up to 14,000 containers. For max efficiency, you want to put the Post-Panamax through this since NeoPanamax can just go through the Panama Canal. The longest container train in the US is 3.6 kms and holds 458 containers, powered by 7 locomotives. So to move all 20,000 containers of a single Post-Panamax by rail will take 44x3.6 km long trains driven by 308 locomotives. Lined up end to end, this would be 158.4 km long which is about half the highway distance between the two ports. Oh did he say the railway is also being used for passengers? I stopped at this point since I didn’t feel I needed to calculate the time and logistics of loading and unloading to and from the ship and trains since this already seems obscured. Did I get the math wrong somehow?

[@enrique88005]

So the big ass ships hold so many containers that its not worth unloading them just to take a shortcut.

[@martinpenwald9475]

However, you don’t need 44 trains. I don’t know how long it would take to load 1 train, but let’s say 1 day¹. As soon as it leaves, there can be another train to load. And that’s all you need, since the first will arrive on the other side barely a couple of hours after leaving, taking 1 day to be unloaded and another one to be reloaded. So, yes, maybe you’ll need 3 trains, eventually 4, but not more. For each ship, each train will do the round trip 10 to 15 times. ¹ it’s just an exemple, I don’t know how fast loading a full train can be. If a train is loaded in 6 hours, we’ll need more trains to have a steady flow of containers leaving and arriving on each side, maybe 10 or 12.

[@gnrrailroad1531]

Actually the increase of use is the main problem. Higher usage means greater water consumption.

[@samirgomeznovelo746]

I am Mexican, and I live in México, I wouldn't step once in the USA even if they payed me. Lets imagine the corridor is already done and working well, how much do you believe will it cost and how much time will it take to unload all the containers from a single large cargo ship and move it all the the Gulf of México's coast and reload it again into another cargo ship compared to just crossing the Panama Canal?

[@brian_be_flyin]

The biggest factor for Mexico’s interoceanic corridor’s success, will be who sets up shop in the industrial parks along the corridor. The government is betting on lithium, automobile, semiconductors, oil, with special percs to US firms. It’s a solid deal and it’s a win for Mexico and the US - ships wouldn’t have to leave the Gulf of Mexico. The US southeast coast would benefit so would FL

[@ZHibiki]

Its not an attempt to displace the canal but an attempt to capitalize on the short comings that it has right now

[@brianb-p6586]

Since this is not a canal, it really is not direct competition to the Panama Canal. It's hard to imagine any company wanting to unload containers at one port, move them by rail, and load them again... just to save a bit of distance compared to transiting the Panama Canal. Of course the rail trip should be faster than the canal transit, but unloading a a ship, loading a train, unloading a train, and loading a ship will be much slower. There is also, of course, the high probability that a portion of the cargo will not make one of those transition, diverted by criminal gangs and corrupt officials. For a US or Canadian company moving goods between Europe and the Pacific coast, or between Asia and the Atlantic coast, if they're going to use a train they might as well ship to the nearest coast and use rail to cross their own country.

[@sail1999]

The proposed canal will have its pacific port at the eastern edge of the bay between Mexico and Guatemala. The bay is notorious for fierce winds from the east. Salina Cruz may not be the best location of the western port of the canal.

[@gerbel01]

Ignogni: we dont steal your data: we let you give it to us!!!!

[@edgardomunoz2688]

Panama Canal offers a complete safety route for world trade. Earth transport implicated less safety for cargo, more expensive logistic per container for shipping companies. Also next year the Panama will start the first dam of two one in the west site of the country; Rio Indio dam and Coclé del Norte Dam will provide to Panama Canal a total capabilty of fresh water. First one in construction will be Rio Indio dam on the west jungle mountains of the Panama Canal Hydrographic Basin, using a simple gravity system from the dam to Gatun Lake by tunnels under the mountains. This project was also pending because after Panama Canal expansion the USACE had warned that for the new ships and bigger locks needs more water. So for 2030 the Canal will have a perfect performance.

[@justinluttrell8990]

Can't fault them for this. Competition is the driver of innovation. Plus the Panana Canal is already crammed up, adding a 2nd option will only alleviate the strain and provide a more efficient way to get bigger ships through that wouldn't fit through the original canal.

[@EAcapuccino]

06:49 - Is that an old british Class 43 diesel? 👀 Wowza 😊

[@charlesrives9092]

Economic advancements in Mexico is a good thing even for the US. As more people find good paying jobs there, they are less inclined to want to migrate north. I have worked in Mexico briefly before and as this video points out, there are just as many people that prefer Mexico to stay the way it is as there are those who want it to evolve.

[@nunya___]

So is it a canal or a rail? If rail, are they planning on moving the whole Ship??? Because you said the US NANY would move it's ships through there.

[@rdspam]

All fully explained in the video. Where does it claim US Navy (I assume, not Nany) ships will ride on these trains?

[@tjcaruthers5593]

Great idea Mexico. Just one question, what are you going to do about that pesky cartel issue you have? Ok i got another question, what kind of security can Mexico offer to keep the people and thier goods safe? These questions need to be addressed because logistics is a really good front for moving large quantities of illicit product.

[@pottertheavenger1363]

I can hear your racist prejudice from here. 1) Cartels don't operate in the area. 2) There will be military security. 3) If anything illicit moves through there, it would be to feed the demand of gringo addicts.

[@BubblePuppy.]

Cool Except you did not talk about the actual project. How difficult, how much earth moved, what does the design of the canal look like in specifics, how will it operate. But congratulations, you pumped out another video.

[@fritzbang4805]

How does that work? Unload the container ships and put the containers on rail; then on the other end load the containers onto another container ship? It's 124 miles across Mexico and only 50 miles across Panama. Which is cheaper?

[@ozzieansari5799]

Wasn't expecting the Nostalgia Critic to appear on Megaprojects. Bald bearded guys gotta stick together?😄

[@Kazihirom]

Those containers will probably be a little heavier after they leave. Mexico

[@HipiO7]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@nunya___]

...or lighter. :)

[@phizc]

​@@nunya___damn! You beat me to it. 😂

[@tomhenry897]

Or lighter

[@brianb-p6586]

... or there will be fewer leaving than coming in, without any local paying customers.

[@WillyK51]

Rain is back, Panama canal back to normal. Gov. planing new resevoires to store water for next drough. A new canal elsewere might compete. 15K containers in 10 hours transit trough Panama canal. Unload 15K containers, load on train, transit to other coast about 7 Hours, load on new ship?? we'll see if practical

[@jtc1947]

I seem to have read that the PANAMA CANAL is suffering from a LACK of water to fill the canal locks ( for transport) not to mention "@chrismiller5940's" comment below about the INCREDIBLE SIZE of modern container vessels that SIMPLY will NOT FIT through the canal locks.

[@stephengraham1153]

So to give you some idea of the scale of investment, 70 billion pesos is equivalent to almost £3 billion. The UK government spend £37 billion on Track & Trace. Who do you think got better value for money?

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

9 hours to travel a straight line distance of around 140 miles... And example of "Mexican efficiency"? :) A container ship can have over 10,000 TEU containers on it... So, stretched end to end, that would be 200,000 ft or around 38 miles. I've seen freight trains carrying 40 ft (i.e. 2 TEU size) containers in a double-decker layout, thus 4 40-ft containers per rail car... Add in a bit more for spacing between the containers and the rail cars... Currently the maximum train length here in the US is around 2 miles long... Basically, you would be creating the equivalent of a large conveyor belt of shipping containers from port to port... As a shipping customer though, I would be concerned about the possibility of container pilferage as it goes through Mexico...

[@hiroshi138]

This wouldn't even be a conversation if Carter hadn't given away the canal.

[@tetraxis3011]

What does this have to do with the video. and the US had signed the 99 year lease in 1899. Carter just followed the treaty.

[@Zomfoo]

Just build a mega rail line that moves entire shipping vessels from the Pacific to the Atlantic and the reverse.

[@moo5289]

Every ship would have to be completely unloaded at one end with the containers sorted and loaded on rail cars. Then at the other end the whole process is reversed. With very good and expansive port facilities, a three to five day process at each end depending on the size of the ship. Fuel consumption to move a ton a mile by train compared to by ship is multiple times more. Before you invest in this project, consider buying shares of an already built bridge in New York.

[@davidhines7592]

why dont they just make a wide canal with solid banks that the largest ships can pass through? unless they operate the railway as a conveyor belt, it can't cope with the volume of traffic needed. but asking the ship builders what kind of dimensions their ideal container ship would be, then making a canal wide or dual channel so two ships can pass opposite directions, theyd be on a winner.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

I really thought Mexico is going to build their own canal.

[@MikeBaxterABC]

3:10 .. Little known fact Alexander von Humboldt's initial idea of freezing the insmitu solid and using trained bronco's on modified hockey skates, to move ships cargo, was rejected. He then came up with a conventional, canal idea .. which is being employed today!!

[@arturogonzalez167]

Mexico is not trying to compete with Panama the Mexican president literally said but it is to relieve the traffic from the Panama Canal so there is faster shipping

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

I want to know how Alexander von Humboldt got both an oceanic current and a squid named after him.

[@jonathanstensberg]

He was a globe-trotting celebrity Romantic scientist. There’s a massive Wikipedia page just for all the things named after him.

[@AngryChihuahua]

As a Panamanian, this would destroy our economy. It’s also not going to happen. So we aren’t worried.

[@martinpenwald9475]

What is going to destroy your economy is climate change, not whatever project Mexico will or will not achieve.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:25 - Mid roll ads 2:45 - Chapter 1 - New world, new route 6:20 - Chapter 2 - The modern project begins 9:25 - Chapter 3 - Economic & cultural impact

[@Slick9600]

Good good. Now they shippa da rugs both ways. More moneys and rugs for everyone!

[@nroose]

Seems like you missed the whole topic of draught that is crippling the Panama Canal and whether the Interoceanic Corridor would have a similar problem.

[@lithium_6]

Some of the footage you showed is from the Tren Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula not the transoceanic corridor. But still, the Tren Maya had a huge environmental impact and destroyed historic cultural sites with questionable benefits for the local population.

[@corymoore2292]

I am engineering a scenario where Simon’s best option will be to eat a banana while looking me in the eye.

[@kevinlindstrom8486]

very cool