Gibraltar Tunnel

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 This article or section contains information about a planned or expected future tunnel.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the construction or completion of the tunnel approaches, and more information becomes available.
Gibraltar Tunnel
Info
Location Strait of Gibraltar
Status Project at planning phase
System Railway tunnel
Start 2008
End 2025
Operation
Owner Spanish and Moroccan governments
Technical
Line length 39Km

Gibraltar Tunnel is envisioned as a rail tunnel that would link Africa and Europe. The idea of a link via a bridge or a tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar has existed since the 1980s.[1][2] The Spanish and Moroccan governments have been jointly investigating the feasibility of a tunnel underneath the strait, similar to the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France.

The idea of a tunnel for petrol/diesel powered road vehicles has been discounted due to the currently insurmountable engineering challenge of ventilation to remove exhaust gases from automobiles from a tunnel some 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) long. A new three-year study for a railway tunnel was announced in 2003. The strait depth extends to 900 metres (3000 feet), and is about 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) wide at its narrowest point. The project would be financed by two publicly owned companies in Spain and Morocco.

Contents

[edit] Original proposals

Main article: Gibraltar bridge
The Strait of Gibraltar from atop "The Rock" in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The Rif Mountains of Morocco can be seen in the distance.
The Strait of Gibraltar from atop "The Rock" in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The Rif Mountains of Morocco can be seen in the distance.

A group of American and British engineers have studied the feasibility of building a bridge to span the Strait.[3] Such a bridge would have been of a combination suspension-truss design and its height, over 900 metres (3000 feet), would dwarf any existing bridge. A bridge was ruled out because of the depth of the strait (900 metres, 3000 feet).

A floating bridge was not an option either because of the number of ships passing through the Gibraltar corridor and the strong currents of the strait.

[edit] Planning

In December 2003, Spain and Morocco agreed to explore the construction of an undersea rail tunnel to connect their rail systems. In late 2006, Lombardi Engineering Ltd, a Swiss engineering and design company, was retained to draft a design for a railway tunnel.[4] Preliminary studies should be finished by 2008. According to the company, the main differences between the construction of this tunnel and that of the Channel Tunnel, linking France and Great Britain, is the depth of the sea and the geological conditions are also different. The area under the Strait is less stable than that under the English Channel as an active major geologic fault, the Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault bisects the Strait, and severe earthquakes have been known to occur in the area.

It is projected to carry 9 million passengers in its first year of operation, which is expected to start in 2025. No official figures about the cost of the project have been announced yet but older estimates talk about a minimum of €5bn.[5]

[edit] Technical aspect

The twin rail tunnel would be 40 kilometres long, and its construction could take 15 years. Like the Channel Tunnel, It would feature two rail tunnels connected by a central service tunnel.

The rail gauge of the tunnel would be standard gauge (4'8.5" or 1435 millimetres), to match the proposed construction and conversion of significant parts of the existing broad gauge Spanish system to standard gauge.[6][7]. The line is likely to be electrified at 25 kV AC, the same as Spanish AVE lines, despite both having 3kV DC electrification systems, as the 25kV AC is more modern and requires less infrastructure.

The tunnel will link Cape Malabata near Tangier with Punta Paloma 40km west of Gibraltar.[8] This link will be 300 metres (around 900 feet) deep. The original link was planned to link the two continents via the narrowest part of the strait but this idea was dismissed as it is 900 metres (around 2700 feet) deep. Even 300 m is deep since today's deepest undersea tunnel, the Eiksund tunnel is 264 m (866 feet) below sea level.

Aside from the actual tunnel itself, it is likely that a branch from the Madrid-Seville AVE line will connect to the tunnel at the north end. There are also proposals to develop a high speed network in Morocco. Similarly, terminals will have to be constructed for trans-shipment of road vehicles like those at Cheriton and Frethun

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ First agreement between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdom of Spain (1980). secegsa.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  2. ^ Second agreement between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdom of Spain (1989). secegsa.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  3. ^ Strait of Gibraltar Floating Bridge. tsui design and research. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. “United States architect Eugene Tsui has designed the longest bridge in the world, spanning the Strait of Gibraltar and connecting the continents of Europe and Africa”
  4. ^ swissinfo with agencies. Swiss plan tunnel under Strait of Gibraltar. swissinfo.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  5. ^ By train from Europe to Africa - undersea tunnel project takes a leap forward. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
  6. ^ Europe-Africa rail tunnel agreed BBC.co.uk
  7. ^ Africa and Europe set for tunnel link BBC.co.uk
  8. ^ Spain and Morocco agree to rail tunnel under Gibraltar strait. wsws.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.