A TUNNEL connecting Europe and Africa could be one step closer after a study commissioned by the Spanish government concluded that an underground corridor below the Strait of Gibraltar would be ‘technically feasible’.
Earlier this year, German underground boring specialists Herrenknecht AG were awarded a €300,000 contract to determine whether the highly ambitious plan to build a permanent rail connection between Spain and Morocco was realistic or merely a pipe dream.
After over nine months of deliberation, they say current engineering technology means it is possible, providing a welcome boost to a project that has been mooted for decades.
The study even covered the Camarinal Sill, an extremely complex shallow seafloor pass under the Strait of Gibraltar that will pose a considerable challenge for engineers.
If it goes ahead, the underground corridor could sit up to 465 metres below the sea bed between Tarifa in Spain and Tangier on Morocco’s northern coast – stretching around 65 kilometres in distance, 40km of which will lie in Spanish territory.
The line would link Morocco’s high-speed rail network to Spain’s own via a new connection to the Sevilla-Cadiz line, facilitating the traffic of both passengers and freight, and possibly energy and fibre-optic infrastructure.
But the project will come at an enormous cost, even if the European Union stumps up some of the cash through its €750 billion NextGeneration scheme.
Based on current designs, the Spanish side alone is expected to rack up a bill of around €8-9 billion, meaning the total project would likely exceed €10 billion once both countries’ infrastructure is included.
No date has been set for construction, although engineers have already set out a rough timetable.
The first phase will consist of building an exploratory corridor that will help to ascertain whether a full passenger and freight tunnel can be safely built.
Spain and Morocco have reportedly committed to making a final decision in 2027 regarding the tender for the test tunnel – although experts warn that could still take up to a decade to complete.
The final tunnel will follow a twin-tube approach.
The idea of a fixed link under the world’s second busiest shipping channel has existed since the 19th century, but modern planning began in 1979 when Spain and Morocco signed a cooperation agreement to explore a permanent crossing.
The two sides signed a joint three-year work plan in 2023, which aimed to update earlier feasibility studies, conduct further mapping of the seabed and monitor seismic activity.
Spain’s transport ministry has already asked public consulting firm Ineco to figure out a sustainable profitability model for the tunnel.
The study is exploring concessions similar to the Eurotunnel, as well as additional revenue sources such as railway fees and fibre optic installation.
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