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.
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The only good part is that they’re undervaluing the costs of this pig, it’ll be closer to 1 trillion final cost with annual upkeep in the billions. There’s no way for it to ever recoup the costs through fares, so it’ll be a massive drain on both governments.
Prediction: Tunnel is abandoned after the second breach kills dozens in the construction phase after obvious flaws uncovered in the exploratory phase are papered over and deemed ‘acceptable risks.’
Not a good idea.
“That is ambitious! Is there need for it?”
Well yes. The great replacement isn’t happening fast enough.
😎 Yeah, they “accidentally” landed there. 😆
This seems to be another big government boondoggle, pushed by socialist Sanchez.
I think, this can be done, but why?
There are few ferries between Spain and Morocco, and they are not overflowing with eager travelers.
What could go wrong? BTW, Norway (which isn't in the EU) has an ongoing project (only parts have been completed) to build an offshore tunnel system off its coast.
Spain should look at all of the economic migrants and Muzzie crime in the UK before agreeing to this. Seas make very good borders to keep people out.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Some lunatic Jihadi will just blow it up.
Not sure why this is considered to be so difficult to do. The Channel Tunnel is 50.46 and is the third longest rail tunnel in the world. We been building these things for a long time. The differnce between 50 and 65 kilos is minimal.
The Channel Tunnel (French: Tunnel sous la Manche, sometimes referred to as the Chunnel) is a 50.46-kilometre (31.35-mile) railway tunnel beneath the English Channel that connects Folkestone in the United Kingdom with Coquelles in northern France. Opened in 1994, it remains the only fixed link between Great Britain and the European mainland.
The tunnel has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, at 37.9 km (23.5 miles), and reaches a depth of 75 m (246 ft) below the sea bed and 115 m (377 ft) below sea level. It is the third-longest railway tunnel in the world. Although the tunnel was designed for speeds up to 200 km/h (120 mph), trains are limited to a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) for safety reasons. It connects to high-speed railway lines on either end: the LGV Nord in France and High Speed 1 in the United Kingdom.
China apparently loves building long tunnels. The list here is mostly Chinese tunnels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_railway_tunnels
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