Argentina endorses $3B Andes tunnel

[Mark]

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is promising to help build a 14-mile (23-kilometer) tunnel through the Andes into Chile. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet also supports the project.

Argentina's state news agency says the tunnel will cost $3 billion. It would allow the resurrection of a reliable trans-Andean train running between Argentina's Mendoza province west of Buenos Aires and the town of Los Andes in Chile.

The tunnel would be at an altitude of 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) -- almost 2,600 feet (800 meters) lower than an existing, narrow tunnel that is often blocked by snow in winter.