The tunnel between Spain and Morocco seemed like a chimera. Now a tunnel boring machine manufacturer says it is viable

The idea of ​​connecting Europe and Africa directly is something that takes century and a half fluttering the mind of leaders and engineers. The simplest way would be to connect Spain and Morocco through the Strait of Gibraltar, and what for decades was considered a chimera due to its complexity, today is a little closer. And the company that would make the tunnel boring machine He defends that “it is viable.” In short. I told it Populi Voice a few days ago. Óscar Puente -Minister of Transport- and Karim Zidane -Delegate Minister of Investments, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies of Morocco- they met in Moncloa to discuss the infrastructure expansion plan of the North African country. Puente conveyed to the Moroccan minister the interest of the Spanish business sector in participating in an ambitious project that plans to expand its high speed network up to 1,300 km by 2040. The meeting discussed infrastructure such as ports and airports, but the strategic backdrop is the vaunted tunnel that links Spain and Morocco. Centennial project. The union of Europe and Africa through a direct connection between Spain and Morocco is something that comes from afar. The same thing happens with the ‘Peace’ project that aims to unite the United States and Russiabut as in the case of the tunnel with Morocco, it has not yet materialized. In 1869, the Public Works Council already tested the possibility of connecting both continents through Gibraltar. The proposal ended up in the drawer, but over the yearsdifferent technicians and rulers have rescued it with a “we could do this.” There is a clear commercial interest both in mobility of people (the “passage operations” add many vehicles crossing by ferry) as commercial (improvement in relations between the United Kingdom and Morocco, the country from which they buy fruit). “Viable“However, although with some plan in between, nothing was finalized. Something has changed: a German company called Herrenknech affirms that the tunnel is viable. They are not just any company: it is one of those that leads in the manufacturing of tunnel boring machines -or boring machines- and, after a feasibility study commissioned by the Spanish company SECEGSAhave stated that the project is “technologically viable” after the reactivation and promotion of a few years ago and socioeconomic analysis published in 2024. It really isn’t that much distance that would have to be covered. In other parts of the world, such as northern europe or in China, we see similar underwater railway tunnel projects of considerable length. The particularity of the Strait of Gibraltar tunnel is not so much the length (it would have to cover about 40 kilometers underground and underwater), but rather the characteristics of the territory. Characteristics: the tunnel profile would be the following: Distance between terminal stations: 42 kilometers. Total length of the tunnel: 38.5 kilometers. Length of the underwater tunnel: 27.7 kilometers. Minimum range at the lowest point: 175 meters. Maximum depth: 475 meters. Slope: 3%. Complex. The geology of the strait is very complicated because it has numerous areas of unstable clay, but also very strong marine currents and the presence of earthquakes. Any slight mistake when carrying out calculations or using unsuitable materials would cause a catastrophe. This is where Herrenknech comes into play as one of the few companies with the capacity to design specific machines that can operate in these conditions. Apparently, they themselves confess that it would be a challenge, but that a route through the Camarinan Threshold (which is longer than a straight line, but also shallower) could be done with current engineering. and expensive. Viable, yes, cheap… no. According to the information of Populi Voicethe base bidding budget corresponding to the Spanish part would exceed 8.5 billion euros. HE wait that part will be paid for with community funds thanks to concessions similar to those of the Channel Tunnel. And the international implications would be tremendous, linking Rabat and Madrid, directly, by train. It’s going to be long. For a time it was expected that the 2030 World Cup that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-organize was the catalyst for this project, but the times simply do not allow it. It would be extremely complicated for the tunnel to be operational by 2030 when we only have a “it is possible” from the company that manufactures tunnel boring machines and, in fact, the estimated deadlines speak of a tunnel within a decade or more. Now, what was considered a chimera for decades is now have a realistic performance goal between 2035 and 2040 is an important step forward. But there is a lack of work, money and crucial international coordination to achieve the objective of this tunnel between Spain and Morocco. The next step? Carry out new studies shared between countries on seismic activity, possible tsunamis and the behavior of the maritime corridor, as well as a technical planning which must be done before August of next year. What is clear is that it seems more viable than the dam-bridge that someone proposed a few years ago. Images | SECEGSA (2), Moncloa In Xataka | Modern tunnel boring machines are real monsters compared to those of 1950. The paradox is that they are just as slow

The enormous Mayrit tunnel boring machine on Metro L11 is already in Madrid. Now comes the real challenge: putting it together piece by piece

In Madrid there are already the pieces of one of the largest machines that will work in the city’s underground in the coming years. It is about Mayritthe EPB tunnel boring machine 98 meters long and 1,500 tons in weight whose transport started in Germany, continued along the Rhine to Rotterdam and continued by boat to the port of Santander. After that journey, a special convoy has completed more than 450 kilometers by road to take its modules to the future Comillas station, where it will prepare to excavate the new section of Line 11 between Plaza Elíptica and Conde de Casal. The work on which Mayrit will work is part of a broader intervention that the Community of Madrid describes in 2025 as the largest expansion of the Metro network in the last decade. Official data published in November put progress at 34% and maintain a budget of 518 million euros to complete the new section and the planned stations. The regional government maintains the year 2027 as a reference to close this phase of the project. Mayrit is already in Madrid: one hour left to convert its parts into a single operational machine When dealing with a machine of this size and complexity, each phase of the process requires precision that goes far beyond conventional engineering. Mayrit’s journey towards Spain began long before it appeared on the road: it started in Schwanau, the German town where Herrenknecht completed its manufacturing after about 20 months of work. There, more than a thousand kilometers from Madrid, the tunnel boring machine It was assembled for the first time in June 2025 to carry out initial verifications. This assembly showed the magnitude of the next step: converting the machine into a set of parts capable of traveling around Europe without risks. Disassembling it was not a quick procedure. For the next two months, Herrenknecht teams dedicated themselves to separating each module following a sequence calculated to the millimeter. The result was a set of sections ready to begin an international tour. The disembarkation in the port of Santander marked the beginning of the last stage of Mayrit’s journey, a phase that requires coordination very different from that of river and maritime transport. The pieces arrived distributed in separate shipments and were transferred to prepared platforms, a process that is carried out with specialized equipment to avoid any unexpected displacement. The organization of the road transfer incorporated common protocols in special transport, with large-tonnage vehicles escorted by technical teams in charge of checking clearances, turning radii and urban accesses. The authorities confirmed that the advance was carried out mainly at night to reduce interruptions and facilitate maneuvers in the most delicate sections of the route. The arrival in the Comillas area required a final deployment of personnel and machinery to accommodate each piece in the work area, where the assembly phase that will transform this set of modules into a single operational tunnel boring machine is already awaiting. The arrival of the pieces also marks the beginning of a phase that, according to forecasts distributed between June and November 2025, can extend until March 2026. Assembling a TBM requires joining modules in a strict order, connecting hydraulic and electrical systems, and performing tests that are concentrated between late January and February. It is a sequential process that is not resolved in a few days and that determines the date on which the machine will be able to start digging at the beginning of March. The official documentation describes Mayrit as an EPB machine adapted to the geotechnical characteristics of the layout. Its operation is based on maintaining a balance of pressures that prevents unwanted movements on the surface, especially relevant in urban environments. To sustain this process, shifts of specialists are involved who manage the control and evacuation systems of the excavated material. The expected performanceclose to 15 meters per day, will be decisive in setting the pace of mechanized advance. Comillas will be the point from which Mayrit will begin the mechanized sectionaccording to the forecasts that the Community of Madrid has been detailing since June 2025. From there it will advance to Conde de Casalwhile in parallel the manual excavation of about 700 meters towards Plaza Elíptica progresses, started in September with a performance of close to 50 meters per month. The beginning of the excavation will mark the jump between the preparatory work and the actual progress of the tunnel that will transform this section of Line 11. With each meter excavated, the planned layout will get closer to its final shape and will allow the progress of the project to be measured more clearly. It is a significant element within regional planning to reinforce mobility in one of the areas with the most demand on the network. Images | Community of Madrid In Xataka | Malaga has become a magnet for the most luxurious yachts in the world: the latest, that of the co-founder of Google

A 1,500-ton tunnel boring machine is already traveling to Madrid to drill the new Line 11

“Notify when you leave and when you arrive” Mayrit has already done the first. The second will be in more or less a month when all the pieces are already on Spanish soil. Mayrit is not the youngest son of a family. Mayrit has many fathers and mothers. Many. Those necessary to give life to a 1,500 ton tunnel boring machine. That tunnel boring machine that will directly expand line 11 of the Madrid Metro. A line that, until now, has been excavated with much more traditional means and that of course will take a huge leap forward in its future projection with this gigantic and enormous artifact. What’s coming, what’s coming Connecting Cuatro Vientos, southwest of the capital, with Valedebebas, northeast of it, Line 11 wants to become in one of those star connections in Madrid. Tracing a diagonal, the intention is to convert what is currently just seven stations into one of Madrid’s great corridors. The qualitative and quantitative leap in the progress of the works will be made by Mayrit. This gigantic tunnel boring machine weighs 1,500 tons and is 98 meters long. It is expected that each day about 15 meters can be advanced on the land, key in a line that will have stations 33 meters below ground from Madrid. My colleague Javier Márquez explained a few months ago that the transfer is not easy. The machine is built by Herrenknecht AGa German company that has assembled the entire gigantic puzzle of pieces, screws and components in its country. Once assembled, the machine is cut into pieces to be sent to our country. Of course, “it won’t be quick or easy,” as my partner explained. Now we know that the powerful tunnel boring machine has already set out on its way to Spain. It comes by land and sea. And the bulk of its pieces will arrive in Santander by boat where they will board land transport to reach the capital. Another good package of these pieces will arrive at the port of Valencia, originating in Venice. Map of the new Line 11 Once the pieces arrive, they must be transported to Carabanchel. There, next to Plaza Elpítica, this monster will drill into the ground at a rate of 500 meters per month to connect with Conde de Casal, about six kilometers from the point of origin. This stage is considered one of the most problematic and complex. Until now, the connection between Parque de Comillas (which will have a new station) and Plaza Elíptica is being done by hand. However, the transfer and assembly is so delicate and complex that it will not be until March 2026 when everything is expected to be ready in the Madrid neighborhood to begin drilling the ground. The system is so complex because the tunnel boring machine is not only responsible for excavating the earth and disposing of what is found there. While working advancing into the subsoil, an auger transports the excavated material with a conveyor belt. This material can be washed if it encounters mud but it can also affect the stability of the ground with injections of bentonite, water or foam. All while sensors control the pressure the machine experiences to control how fast it can work. If everything happens according to the planned deadlines, the last piece from Mayrit should arrive in December and, as we said, it is not expected to come into operation until March 2026. For now, it’s time to pull the shovel and pneumatic hammer. Photo | Madrid Metro In Xataka | Faced with daily collapses, the Madrid Metro could increase frequencies or put in “pushers.” He has chosen the second

Mobile phones have been a boring rectangle for years. Honor wants to give them a robotic arm, and it makes more sense than it seems

With the exception of folding ones, the vast majority of mobile phones are practically the same: a rectangle with a screen in front and cameras on the back. There was a time when the cell phones had crazy designs and very varied, but that time ended, or so we thought. Honor just taught a mobile phone whose camera is mounted on a robotic arm. It sounds crazy, but it makes more sense than it seems. Honor Robot Phone, the pet-mobile At first it looks like a totally normal cell phone, but then the glass that covers the rear camera opens and a small robotic arm emerges from it, as if it were an “eye” that looks at us and that He behaves as if he were some kind of pet. Yes, it also reminds us a lot of Wall-E. In a published video on his YouTube channelHonor shows this original concept that, through artificial intelligence, is capable of not only capturing moments autonomously, but also interact with us and the environment. In the video we see him inside a pocket “looking” around, helping us choose clothes and even calming a crying baby. It also serves as a stabilizer since Its design is very reminiscent of a gimbal. The evolution of the smartphone is a smartphone With the emergence of AI we have witnessed an attempt to create the evolution of the smartphone. Humane tried it with the AI ​​Pinbut it failed. Sam Altman and Jony Ive have been stirring the hornet’s nest for months with the creation of an “AI iPhone” which we know nothing about. As boring as so many practically identical designs may seem to us, the smartphone works and looks like it will continue to do so for many years. At the beginning of the video, Honor makes it clear that the Robot Phone wants to be the evolution of the smartphone in the age of AI. However, unlike Humane or the mysterious OpenAI device, does not seek to reinvent it completelybut it adds a mechanism so that the AI ​​can see at all times, which is the basic function of devices such as the AI ​​Pin or smart glasses. The Honor Robot Phone it is not a real product, In fact, the entire video is generated by AI. It is part of the Honor Alpha Plan that they announced at the beginning of the year and with which They will invest 10,000 million dollars to be the AI ​​benchmark in the mobile sector. They will give us more details at the Mobile World Congress in 2026, where we may see a working prototype. Images | Honor In Xataka | Where mobile phones are not going: we thought that innovating was the way but we were very wrong

Apple has become a boring company. We ask ourselves who will inherit your throne: Crossover 1×24

Apple It’s a lot of Apple. Or it was, because in recent times it seems to be staying behind. The company’s products no longer generate the expectation of the past, and their apparent problems with AI They open an unknown: Is Apple in danger of losing your reference position? In fact, that question takes us to another direct: if it is, what companies can this witness take? It is precisely what we debate In 1×24 crossoverthe last episode of the program in which Xataka and Gama Topes collaborate. In the debate, moderated by Jaume Lahoz, Miguel – of the range of range – and a server to start talking about the present and challenges that Apple faces in the short term participate: the maturity of the iPhone and the commitment to the services are key to that immediate future. But of course the fundamental part of the current situation is due to What is happening with AIa field in which Apple is adopting a curious attitude of Wait & see. It seems to be waiting to see what happens to, depending on how the market goes, react. It is a risky bet. That somewhat passive attitude makes other actors, can end up taking that leading role that Apple has always had in the field of technology. There are many candidates and we analyze them one by one: Google, Openai, Huawei, Tesla … the battle is served: will anyone be able to Inherit Apple’s throne? On YouTube | Crossover

Opposite is the boring dream of millions of people. And the Spanish fashion writer has made him a book

“I tell the people I appreciate, he said, so I also tell you, that the important thing in work is security,” says the official Beni to her young interim partner Sara, thus encouraging her to oppose. We could change those names for almost any other because, although they are the ones he uses Sara Mesa In his latest novel ‘Opposition‘They are the reflection of a reality. And the writer captures the thought of the majority of the Spanish population with her last work: the tranquility of a stable work is synonymous with a public square. Once again, the writer of the awkward truths tells us about a fact that floods the conversations and the future of the population. The study ‘State of the discomfort: the labor turn towards the public sector’, prepared by OPPOSITATESThe states that seven out of ten Spaniards would leave a stable job in the private sector for a fixed position in the public sector. Besides, it makes clear Who would lead that change; 72% of women would abandon the private sector because of that dream of conciliation and stability that seduces the official, something that especially captivates the strip between 18 and 24 years. All this added to the duration of the working day, the possibility of accessing a better retirement or the good eyes of the banks when admitting a mortgage of a public worker. Being an official in Spain looks like a vital option More than attractive. (Unspash) In addition, the pulse of society is marked by social networks, and it is clear the interest among a sector of the population to oppose when there are many Dedicated videos To this on platforms like Tiktok. Give advice for the study, what you should know before starting, hauls of material … All this enjoys great success Within the vertical video platform. But there is even more revealing fact and that it seems that Sara Mesa drinks in ‘opposition’: the 42.4% Of these young people between 18 and 24, they confess that they consider opposing or are opposing for the fear that the employment situation raises. A writer who radiography to society Sara Mesa has become In a key figure of literature in Spainwith a work that challenges you and many times it bothers you. His narration feeds on what defines us as a society, of what blushes us as individuals, and becomes that internal voice and at the same time that is installed in your thoughts, moving as a dictation, word by word to the paper. That theme that frames us and places, in this case in the world of oppositions, serves to talk about many issues and set a photograph of the now. Already in ‘Scar‘(2015) tells us about a disturbing love story, but also of guilt, submission or consumerism. On the other hand, in ‘Bread face‘(2018) faces us without surroundings with the taboo and with the discomfort when narrating the relationship between an adolescent and an older man, exploring and exploring the issue of maladjustment. With ‘A love‘(2020) and its subsequent adaptation to the big screen by Isabel Coixet, tells us obsessions and drives, shows us a little explored place of female desire in its most primitive form, while reflecting on social classes or types of male. With the interesting elections made by Coixet in its adaptation of 2023 we can see in image that internal dialogue of Nat, as well as the roughness and acidity of the work. Already in 2022, ‘A family‘, repeated the pattern of addressing a topic that would already give for books and books such as family relationships, but took the opportunity to touch insecurities, emotional education and how power within relationships is an actor who forges and molds them. Its wealth is that, despite the variety of stories, the magnetic pen, dark and polished table is not lost at any time; Like your star theme, incommunication. Word after word we see on paper a complete breakdown of human relationships in the purest style Sally Rooney; immersing ourselves in the cause of the beginning of that personal connection between the characters, and the uncertainty and knot in the throat that holds the end of it. The terrifying hope of knowing your future On this occasion, ‘opposition’, it is a precise portrait of the pressure of a society that offers the opposition world as the only profitable future. The author introduces us to Sara, a young woman who has achieved an interim post in an administration office and who considers that the opposition may be the next logical step in her future. We find a reading of the public institutions that shows enough sneer, but without forgetting to be truthful and scathing. Sara arrives at a job where he literally has nothing to do, immersing himself to the Kundera in the unbearable lightness of the administration and thus beginning the doubt, tedium and discomfort. Those rigid hierarchiesthe hostility of the environment, the absurdity of many of the tasks of the official and unconditional obedience are wearing the protagonist, which is strengthening in his psyche the idea of ​​moving away from that day of the Marmota that replaces Bill Murray’s bed with an immense building that catches you and tries to expel you. The anguish of what your day to day will be after the opposition is another cause of restlessness. What is left of life is going to be like that? It is the question that, as a ghost, is around the protagonist daily, and what most likely is the same issue that much of the public staff is done and, why not say it, also the rest of society. Face to face we face what we are willing to give up To submit to the rigidity and stability it offers, such as a siren song, the public administration. The wet dream of all Spanish: a little year in a ministry. It would be perhaps a more simplistic story if we only stay in that layer, speaking of … Read more

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