The Strait of Gibraltar is an area of great strategic interest due to its geographical position between Europe and Africa, and as a crossroads between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This is a crucial step for maritime navigation that has historically attracted significant interest. According to references collected by Arab historians, the construction of a fixed link that connected the two banks separated by just 14 kilometers dates back to the Middle Ages.
In recent history, the idea of a fixed communication through the Strait of Gibraltar began in 1869 when the Public Works Council, dependent on the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, presented a first report on the project. Since then, numerous studies and ideas have emerged that have not been completed due to the technical complexity and logistical challenges that a work of that magnitude entails.
Since 1979, following the creation of two state study societies, SNED (National Society of Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar) in Morocco, and SECEGSA (Spanish Society of Studies for Fixed Communication through the Strait of Gibraltar) in Spain, the idea of building a fixed link across the Strait gained new momentum. In 1990 it was concluded that the most viable alternatives were reduced to two: the suspended bridge and the excavated tunnel.
It was not until 1995 when it was finally determined that the construction of a railway tunnel dug under the seabed was the best option. To obtain more information about the land, the execution of three experimental works was undertaken during the first half of the decade: the Bologna Well and the Tarifa Gallery, in Spain, and the Malabata complex of wells and galleries, in Morocco.
In later years and to this day, multiple oceanographic campaigns have been carried out, which include deep surveys, using the most sophisticated techniques.
According to the documentation presented by SECEGSA, the project contemplates the construction, in the first phase, of a single-track railway tunnel, connected to a smaller diameter service gallery.
Depending on demand, in a second phase a second railway tunnel would be built, both operating in a single direction. The total length of the tunnel is 38.7 kilometers, of which 27.7 km runs under the sea, reaching a maximum depth of 475 meters.
The project provides for a passenger and freight transport service between the two terminals, located in Tangier (Morocco) and Punta Paloma (Spain) at a distance of 42 kilometers between the two. Said transportation will be carried out in shuttle trains for accompanied vehicles (cars and buses) and in shuttle trains for trucks. Conventional passenger and freight trains will also be able to run through the tunnel.
However, almost three decades after reaching a consensus on the feasibility of building a railway tunnel dug beneath the seabed, the project remains a monumental challenge. Despite progress in collecting oceanographic data and preliminary experiments, the realization of this ambitious plan faces significant economic, political and technical obstacles.
