Spain-Morocco Massive Underwater Tunnel Project Resurfaces

Hopes for high-speed rail underwater tunnels between Spain and Morocco have been renewed as the Spanish foreign minister visited the North African country this week to discuss the infrastructure project and how it can be progressed.

The 17.2-mile underwater tunnels between Spain and Morocco were first discussed in the late 1970s, but no conclusion was reached on how the monumental project would be carried out. However, Spain’s transport minister Oscar Puente – during his visit to Morocco earlier this week – raised hopes that the Fixed Link project which would connect the Strait of Gibraltar with Morocco, may once again be on the cards.

Puente said a date would be set “as soon as possible” for a meeting focused on plans for the project.

The meeting is a starting point for serious collaboration on the Fixed Link project, with development studies being produced if the Spanish minister and his Moroccan counterparts can reach an agreement.

If agreement is reached, different working groups would be formed with the aim of building a framework for collaboration on the development, as well as other transport schemes in the interest of both Madrid and Rabat.

During his meeting with Moroccan officials in Rabat, Puente drew attention to the strategic nature of the much-anticipated link, and further highlighted the good relations between the two nations and the open channels of communication they share, which, he said, should be used to promote the development of more infrastructure and transport links.

The Fixed Link project may also conceivably help to alleviate some of the challenges which may be presented by the 2030 FIFA World Cup – hosted jointly by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

Previous Hope for the Spain-Morocco Rail Tunnel

Puente’s predecessor Raquel Sanchez had already sparked renewed hope for this project in February 2023, when she told the Moroccan government that the Spanish construction sector was interested in participating in the development of the African country’s projects.

She said at the time, “We are going to give impetus to the studies of the Fixed Link Project for the Strait of Gibraltar, which was initiated by both countries forty years ago. A strategic project for Spain and Morocco, and also for Europe and Africa.”

In July, the Spanish government gazette confirmed the allocation of £1.96 million (2.5m dollars) of European funds for the Spanish Society for Fixed Communication across the Strait of Gibraltar (SECEGSA) to update the studies related to the project.

According to Railtech.com, the tunnels’ route would extend from Punta Paloma in Tarifa to Punta Malabata in the Bay of Tangiers, reaching a maximum depth of 300 meters with a maximum gradient of three per cent. Completion of the project is estimated to take up to five years.