Posted on 11/05/2025 1:18:08 PM PST by Red Badger
Updates to the long-awaited project linking Spain and Morocco suggest that the dream of an undersea tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar is now within technological reach. The German firm Herrenknecht, a global leader in tunnel-boring technology, has completed a feasibility study confirming that the infrastructure, while highly complex, is technically achievable.
Commissioned by Spain’s Secegsa (Sociedad Española de Estudios para la Comunicación Fija a través del Estrecho de Gibraltar) under the Ministry of Transport, the report marks a milestone for a project studied for over fifty years. According to Vozpópuli on Wednesday, the Spanish government has had the report since June and is now preparing the groundwork for a tender beyond June 2026, when the 2007 preliminary project is set for revision.
Both Spain and Morocco are expected to make a final decision in 2027 regarding the construction of an initial exploratory tunnel, the newspaper added. Meanwhile, delegations from Secegsa and Morocco’s SNED (Société Nationale d'Études du Détroit) recently visited Norway to study the Rogfast Tunnel, the world’s deepest project of its kind, while ongoing seismic and seabed studies are being conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey.
Herrenknecht’s findings show that modern engineering capabilities can support the tunnel’s development, noting major technological advances since the early 2000s but warning of significant logistical and financial challenges. The German firm estimates six to nine years for the exploratory phase, with about 40 of the 65 kilometers of the tunnel lying under Spanish territory between Vejer de la Frontera and Tarifa, connected to the Cádiz–Seville rail line.
The total budget for Spain’s section exceeds €8.5 billion, part of which could come from the European Union, the newspaper suggests. However, it reveals that while some hope for visible progress by 2030, experts consider 2035–2040 a more realistic timeframe.
First conceived in the 19th century and formalized under a 1979 bilateral agreement, the Spain–Morocco tunnel project has been revived several times. After years of dormancy, it regained traction under Pedro Sanchez’s government, with new allocations exceeding €2 million from EU Recovery Funds, rekindling hopes that the long-envisioned Madrid–Rabat rail link may finally move from concept to construction.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Oh, is it too hard for Islamist to get in now?
It will make the illegal invasion even easier.
That is ambitious! Is there need for it?
This will end Europe, as we knew it.
Oh great. Fast track to Al Andalus II.
Whatever you do, be sure to keep away from the Wizards of Smart that are involved in the Kalifornia Train To Nowhere.
What could possibly go wrong?
Only build the southbound side. Here’s a job opportunity for Hamas tunneling experts (prob not interested; no Jews to murder).
Surrender to the Moors
Next thing you know they’ll be smuggling baklava across that thing...........
Build it and they will come..................
Yeah, more Muslims. Just what they need.
Europe is dying the most bizarre death in history.
Some civilizations fizzle out (Easter Island).
Some collapse due to drought and religious collapse (the Maya).
Some are conquered by more technologically advanced civilizations (Native Americans).
But has there ever been a civilization that has openly invited a historically hostile civilization to come and take their resources?
This might be due to the guilt driven nature of Christianity (that had an out through Christ) but now that Christ has been jettisoned just the guilt remains.
Is Spain sure it wants to do this?
I am reminded of one of the funniest news stories I heard in 2004. A raft carrying 42 African refugees of all ages crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and landed on a nude beach in Spain. I bet they didn’t think Western civilization would be like this!
“ That is ambitious! Is there need for it?”
Muslim invaders dislike water.
Great post, especially your last sentence.
The West’s lack of any sense of self-preservation is paving the way for its own downfall.
Exactly.
Load trains full of muzzies, send them to Morocco, and dynamite the tunnel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.