A study conducted by tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturer Herrenknecht for the Spanish government has confirmed that construction of a twin-bore rail tunnel between Spain and Morocco is technically feasible using current tunnelling technology.
According to Spanish news website Vozpópuli, the study has reached this conclusion while noting the major logistical and financial challenges that must be overcome to deliver this complex project.
The 38.5km tunnel would run from a point to the west of Algeciras in Spain to Tangiers in Morocco. The undersea section would be 28km long at depths of between 175m and 475m below sea level. Total distance between the Spanish and Moroccan terminals would be 42km.
Herrenknecht focused on examining the feasibility of excavating the most critical section of the route, running along the Camarinal Sill that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. The study contract was awarded last year to support the updating of preliminary studies for the new tunnel, which is being undertaken by state-owned engineering consultancy Ineco.
Vozpópuli also reports that a delegation from Secegsa, the Spanish state-owned company managing the project, and its Moroccan counterpart Société Nationale d’Études du Détroit (SNED), recently visited the Rogfast tunnel currently under construction in Norway. This will be the longest and deepest undersea road tunnel in the world, running for 27km at a maximum depth of 392m below sea level.
Tendering
In Spain, work is now reported to be underway across government departments to prepare tendering documentation for a contract to bore the first exploratory tunnel for the project. This is expected to be completed some time after June 2026, enabling Spain and Morocco to reach a final decision on launching the tender for the exploratory tunnel in 2027. This is expected to take between six and nine years to complete.
The total cost of the Spanish component of the project is estimated at over €8.5bn, including the exploratory tunnel, the two running tunnels and a terminal located at Vejer de la Frontera. This would be connected to the national network by means of a new line running to the Cádiz - Seville main line.
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility had commissioned Ineco to examine the financial feasibility of the project, exploring the potential for adopting a concession model similar to that used for the Channel Tunnel and the cross-border Figueres - Perpignan high-speed line.
Work will include assessing passenger and freight demand, route alternatives, and terminal locations Ineco will also examine potential income streams including track access charges, transport services, and using the new tunnel to carry fibre optic cable or a new interconnector between the electricity grids of Spain and Morocco.
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