Undersea Train Tunnel to Connect Europe & Africa

M.A. Dworkin

Atlantic Ocean - A colossal undersea train tunnel project linking Europe and Africa just got the green light after four decades of delays. Stretching beneath the sea, it promises to transform trade, travel, and geopolitics across the two continents. 

Planned to stretch approximately 42 kilometers, including 28 kilometers submerged, the Gibraltar Rail Tunnel project would connect the southern Spanish coast near Tarifa to Morocco’s Tanger-Med port. The deepest point could reach up to 475 meters below sea level, making it one of the most complex sub-sea constructions ever attempted. 

The Morocco-Spain underwater tunnel is transitioning from a dream that began four decades ago into an engineering reality. 

“We’ll cross the sea by train,” said one of the project’s visionaries. 

The suggested total cost lies somewhere between 6 to 15 billion euros, depending on the design, logistics and materials. More than a feat of engineering, the project is being hailed as a new economic artery between the two continents. A Europe-Africa rail link would reduce freight times, ease migration logistics, and provide  a climate-friendlier alternative to ferries and cargo planes. 

Tanger-Med is already North Africa’s busiest port. The tunnel would cause it to emerge as a gateway to Europe for goods from West and Central Africa. Completion of the project is expected by 2040 if all variables fall into line.

There are a number of undersea tunnels in existence around the world. Possibly the most famous of them is The Channel Tunnel, aka Eurotunnel, which connects France to England. It runs 50 km long, 38 km undersea bed. It took approximately 7 years to construct, with workers using several massive tunnel boring machines, hand-operated excavators, and roadheaders (excavators used to create large underground chambers). Trains go through two larger tunnels and a smaller service tunnel - used for ventilation and access - runs between the two train tunnels.

“Every generation has to do something that will affect the future,” stated England’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the opening of the Eurotunnel. “This is wonderful, even better than I thought it would turn out.”