The Spanish government has awarded Herrenknecht, a manufacturer of tunnel boring machines, a contract to carry out a feasibility study for a railway tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar to connect Spain with Morocco. The 38.5 km tunnel would run from Algeciras in Spain to Tangier in Morocco. The underwater line would be 28 km in length and would lie at depths of between 175 m and 475 m below sea level. The study, which is due to be completed by June 2025, will focus on the critical corridor along the Camarinal threshold. The project is being led by Spanish state-owned company Secegsa and could include two single-track tunnels with a central service tunnel. The Spanish government has hired four underwater seismometers to analyse the seabed. Tunnel construction is a challenge due to the strong currents and depths of up to 900 m in the Strait of Gibraltar. The journey through the tunnel would take around 30 minutes. In Spain, a new railway line would be required to connect the tunnel to the railway network.
