- The governments of Morocco and Spain have agreed on the construction of a tunnel between the two countries, connecting the African and European continents. Only trains are to pass through the tunnel under the Gibraltar Strait.
The projected tunnel between Morocco and Spain will cross the narrow Strait of Gibraltar following an elected passage of 28 kilometres. The tract, which doesn't follow the shortest distance between the two continents, was chosen because the deepest point along it only was 300 metres below sea surface. The detailed tract however yet has to be determined by geologists.
Several details have however already been agreed upon. The projected double-tracked railway line of 39 kilometres, of which 28 kilometres will be under the sea, is to link Punta Malabata in Morocco (close to Tangier) and Punta Palomas in Spain (close to Tarifa).
The Spanish Minister of Development, Francisco Álvarez-Cascos, on Saturday in Madrid announced the agreement. Mr Álvarez-Cascos earlier this month had negotiated the deal with the Moroccan Minister of Transport, Karim Ghellab. The two governments, which have seen their relations strained during the last years, had been negotiating the deal for a long time.
According to the Spanish Ministry, the projected tunnel was only to offer a railway service, similar to the tunnel connecting France and England. Cars will have to ride on the train, which will connect Madrid and Casablanca.
Minister Álvarez-Cascos said the works on the intercontinental tunnel is to be initiated late next year. During two years, Moroccan and Spanish geologist are to conduct drilling operations in the Strait. The results of these operations are to determine the final tract of the tunnel and will produce data to calculate the project's total costs.
Until 2008, a joint commission of the Moroccan and Spanish governments is to present all the details of the tunnel project, including the finalised tract, the total costs and a socio-economic consequence study of the project. These preparations are calculated to cost euros 27 million, which is to be financed in equal parts by the two countries' governments.
The projected tunnel is of a shorter length and passed through easier geological conditions than the US$ 13.5 billion tunnel connecting England and France, commercially opened in 1994. This tunnel, operated by a private enterprise, has proven to be difficult to manage economically.
The Moroccan and Spanish governments still have not decided whether the large infrastructure project would be operated by private capital or by the two states. Traffic between the two countries is modest and most travellers now crossing the Strait have modest budgets, thus jeopardising the financial fundament of the project.
Currently, the main connection between Morocco and Spain is composed of various ferry services crossing the Gibraltar Strait. From the Southern Spanish port town Algeciras, car ferries go to the Northern Moroccan metropolis Tangier and to the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla.
Algeciras counts with a neglected railway connection to Madrid and the rest of Europe, while Tangier has first class speedy railway connections with Casablanca and Rabat. The Algeciras-Tangier route constitutes the main entrance to Morocco for the country's many European tourists and expatriates, living all over Western Europe.
It also constitutes the main trade route between Morocco and Europe, with goods being transported on the road and on train to Algerciras or Tangier and being shipped between the two cities. Especially the potential increase in goods traffic and trade seems to be the main motivation for the tunnel.
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