Skip to content

Plan for a Railway Tunnel under the Straits of Gibraltar Takes Another Step Forward

The plan to build a tunnel under the Straits of Gibraltar has taken another step forward, with the awarding of a contract to conduct a feasibility study on drilling the tunnel to Herrenknecht Iberica, the Spanish subsidiary of the German-based drilling technology giant Herrenknecht AG. Herrenknecht AG is famous for building some of the largest boring machines, including one of 17.6 m in diameter used for crossing under an estuary in Hong Kong.

The tunnel is a featured mega-project in the Schiller Institute report, “The New Silk Road Becomes the World Land-Bridge, Vol. II.” The tunnel project dates back in 1979, when the governments of Morocco and Spain signed an agreement to build the project, which has had fits and starts since then. Last year the two governments revived the projected, commissioning new studies. The announcement on Jan. 22 of issuing this latest feasibility study could indicate a very strong intention to begin the project soon. The feasibility study will start soon and be completed by June, reports Constructionreview.

The project involves a 38.5 km stretch between Tarifa in Spain and Tangier in Morocco, and entails two single rail track tunnels and one service tunnel. It will be built at a maximum depth of 475 meters. It will also link up with the high-speed railways in Spain and Morocco.

On Jan. 21 Morocco’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh announced that the government intends to invest in the $9.6 billion Rail Investment Plan for the modernization of the country’s railway infrastructure by the year 2030. Speaking before the Chamber of Representatives he said the plan involves $5.3 billion to build a high-speed rail line that will run from Kentira to Marrakech. That expands the existing Casablanca-Tangiers line. It also includes $2.9 billion to purchase 18 high-speed trains and 150 multi-service trains. Another approximately $1.4 billion will be reserved for the construction or renovation of about 40 railway stations.