Spain-Africa link decision 'near'

[MoroccanChica]

By Danny Wood
BBC News, Madrid

Spain says a feasibility study for an undersea tunnel to connect Spain and Morocco is in the final stages.

If the project goes ahead and construction begins, trains carrying both passengers and goods are expected to start using the tunnel in 2025.

The tunnel would be 40km long and pass 300m under the Mediterranean Sea.

The undersea link would unite North Africa and Europe for the first time since the continents separated more than 200 million years ago.

Swiss engineers are finalising a feasibility study that will determine whether this underwater connection is technically possible.

However, Angel Aparicio, president of the Spanish government agency co-ordinating the project says building the tunnel presents difficulties that may not be possible to overcome.

"The material here is not compact enough to allow an initial excavation.

"It is clay with rock and so it is not as compact as it is in the rest. As we have a lot of water we have a very high pressure and we are not sure whether we could go through with the tunnelling," he said.

"Those are the difficult questions."

Years of talk

If construction goes ahead the tunnel will take 15 years to build and cost at least $8bn (£4bn).

The Spanish and Moroccan governments see the tunnel as part of a new Mediterranean transport hub for passengers and goods.

Others are not so sure. The prospect of a physical connection between their country and the poorest continent in the world is alarming to some Spaniards.

Others are sceptical about this ambitious scheme ever being completed.

Spain and Morocco have discussed bridge and tunnel plans for more than 20 years.

However, this time the project has support from the European Union and the possibility of funding from the World Bank.

If the feasibility study is positive, work on the tunnel could start in 2009.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7515125.stm

[VegaM]

2025 c'est bcp trop, ils ne peuvent pas avancer un peu les choses

[Slaoui]

Ah non, on veut pas de la sapolerie de colonialiste, fascite et raciste d'espagne chez nous que ça reste comme ça !
Tfou !

[MoroccanChica]

That's just uncalled for.

[ÔMorocco]

Originally Posted by VegaM

2025 c'est bcp trop, ils ne peuvent pas avancer un peu les choses

compte-tenu de la difficulté et du coût, quinze ans de travaux ça serait déjà pas mal. maintenant pour que ça débute, il faut le soutien financier de l'UE par le biais de l'UPM. 5 Mrds d'€ sur 15 ans ça fait du 300M€ par an pour eux c'est pas grand chose, s'ils pouvaient par exemple financer au moins 50% et garantir l'emprunt marocain pour le reste (25%), ça serait un montage financier raisonnable. en tout cas c'est une grande fierté pour le maroc car les ingénieurs et géologues marocains participent grandement à l'élaboration de ce projet qui constitue une véritable prouesse technologique (le tunnel sous la manche était une partie de plaisir à côté)

[Mister79]

Waste of money...
Morocco can better use the money to build better infrastructure in Morocco and to build better homes than to build a tunnel..

The tunnel between Engeland and French is financieel not a succes..

[ÔMorocco]

Originally Posted by Mister79

Waste of money...
Morocco can better use the money to build better infrastructure in Morocco and to build better homes than to build a tunnel..

The tunnel between Engeland and French is financieel not a succes..

1 - they're already building better homes and better towns in every parts of the country.

2 - if the construction of this tunnel is launched, it will receive money from the EU. morocco should have to pay about 1-2 Bn € (scheduled on 15 years), the same amount like the tanger kénitra TGV line or tanger med I : is that wasting money ?

3 - do not mix up economic rentability (impact on economic activity between morocco and spain/europe) and financial rentability (profitability of the handling company). the channel tunnel is not a financial success indeed (eurotunnel), but it represents a huge economic impact. the same goes for every kind of infrastructures on the first years or decade (highways, ports, TGV, urban transports). the moroccan government has to build or help building infrastructures that would boost the moroccan economy, and to secure financial viability of the handling companies ("autoroutes du maroc", oncf, tangermed agency, RATC, etc.)

[DrT]

No way this will happen.
The Spanish government is facing a recession and this will cost way more than projected.
With the state of the economy, real estate slow down and credit crunch, this will remain a fantasy.

[VegaM]

Originally Posted by ÔMorocco

1 - they're already building better homes and better towns in every parts of the country.

2 - if the construction of this tunnel is launched, it will receive money from the EU. morocco should have to pay about 1-2 Bn € (scheduled on 15 years), the same amount like the tanger kénitra TGV line or tanger med I : is that wasting money ?

3 - do not mix up economic rentability (impact on economic activity between morocco and spain/europe) and financial rentability (profitability of the handling company). the channel tunnel is not a financial success indeed (eurotunnel), but it represents a huge economic impact. the same goes for every kind of infrastructures on the first years or decade (highways, ports, TGV, urban transports). the moroccan government has to build or help building infrastructures that would boost the moroccan economy, and to secure financial viability of the handling companies ("autoroutes du maroc", oncf, tangermed agency, RATC, etc.)

+1000

Well said !