Staff Reporter
AN UNDERWATER tunnel connecting Spain and Morocco via train could be constructed in just five years, meaning that potentially it could be ready in time for the 2030 World Cup.
The tournament is going to be held in three countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco, meaning that the transport link could be key to mobility between venues.
The timeframe has been confirmed by researchers at Secegsa, the Spanish Society for Fixed Communications Studies, and which reports to the Spanish Transport Ministry.
Several months ago, Secesga announced that its latest studies not only confirmed the viability of the project, but also the required project time of just half a decade.
According to reports in Spanish media, the plan is for the rail link to connect Madrid with Morocco’s most-populated city, Casablanca, with a total journey time of five-and-a-half hours.
Cars would be able to travel on the trains, with a road link through the tunnels reportedly ruled out.
Spain’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, visited Morocco in March to inspect the country’s infrastructure and transport plans, according to the Spanish edition of the Huffpost.
Secegsa, however, is only charged with drawing up plans, and any future construction project carried out in conjunction with Morocco would be subject to a bilateral deal between the two countries.
Press reports suggest that the tunnel would run for 27.7 kilometres under the sea, with another 11 kilometres underneath the ground.
A total of three tunnels would be built, with two for the trains and a smaller one that would act as a service tunnel.
