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.
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