Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2198398.ece

Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer

By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
Published: 30 January 2007

The dream of a tunnel between Africa and Europe is coming closer to
reality, but it may be another 20 years before you can hop on the fast
train at Seville and disembark in Tangier 90 minutes later.

After decades of plans and geological tests, the governments of both
Spain and Morocco are now keen to push ahead with a twin-track rail
tunnel linking the two countries. Madrid and Rabat gave the project a
boost late last year when they contracted a French, Spanish, Moroccan
and Swiss consortium to draw up fresh blueprints for the under-sea
tunnel. Preliminary work could begin this year, following a report on
the complex geology of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The technical obstacles are formidable. "It's a challenge without
precedent in the construction of large-scale infrastructure, pushing
the limit of what is technically viable," said Giovanni Lombardi, the
head of the participating Swiss company Lombardi Engineering. "The
Channel Tunnel was child's play in comparison. The depth of the
Channel, and the pressure of water there, is much less; marine
currents are much weaker and the rock more solid."

Morocco and Spain are separated at the narrowest point by only nine
miles. The opposite coastline is so clearly visible across the strip
of Mediterranean that you imagine a bridge would span the gap easily.
But the bridge option was discarded years ago - it would have needed
900-metre supports, and would not have withstood the fearsome winds
and currents that lash the Mediterranean bottleneck.

Nor will the proposed tunnel join the two continents at the narrowest
point. The Strait plunges to nearly 1,000 metres in depth, so a
longer, shallower tunnel descending to only 300 metres is planned. It
would run from Morocco's Cape Malabata, near Tangier, to Punta Paloma
near Cadiz in Spain, an underwater stretch of some 28km. With gently
sloping approaches on either side, the full length of the tunnel will
be 40km.

Compounding the difficulties, however, is the seabed around Gibraltar,
which is made of shifting sands. The tunnel must run deep beneath the
seabed.

Rabat is particularly keen on the project, seeing a fixed link as
tangible evidence that the country is closer to Europe. "We've done a
tremendous amount of work to make this dream come true, to go from an
idea into something we can transform into reality," said Karim
Ghellab, Morocco's Transport minister, this week. "It's hard to
predict a date, but it's a project that will happen."

No one has put a figure on the final cost, though estimates range from
€6.5bn to €13bn. Both Spain and Morocco have applied for funds from
the EU, and promise lucrative private contracts.

The partner countries hope the tunnel would improve prosperity in
southern Spain and northern Morocco; traffic between the two is
already huge. Up to a million Moroccans live in Spain,more still in
France and elsewhere in Europe, while Morocco hopes to attract 10
million tourists in 2010.

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

I wonder how they could manage to find any fools to help finance the
thing. Oh, I forgot, there are plenty of government fools.

Jesus wrote:
> http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2198398.ece
>
> Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
>
> By Elizabeth Nash in Madrid
> Published: 30 January 2007
>
> The dream of a tunnel between Africa and Europe is coming closer to
> reality, but it may be another 20 years before you can hop on the fast
> train at Seville and disembark in Tangier 90 minutes later.
>
> After decades of plans and geological tests, the governments of both
> Spain and Morocco are now keen to push ahead with a twin-track rail
> tunnel linking the two countries. Madrid and Rabat gave the project a
> boost late last year when they contracted a French, Spanish, Moroccan
> and Swiss consortium to draw up fresh blueprints for the under-sea
> tunnel. Preliminary work could begin this year, following a report on
> the complex geology of the Strait of Gibraltar.
>
> The technical obstacles are formidable. "It's a challenge without
> precedent in the construction of large-scale infrastructure, pushing
> the limit of what is technically viable," said Giovanni Lombardi, the
> head of the participating Swiss company Lombardi Engineering. "The
> Channel Tunnel was child's play in comparison. The depth of the
> Channel, and the pressure of water there, is much less; marine
> currents are much weaker and the rock more solid."
>
> Morocco and Spain are separated at the narrowest point by only nine
> miles. The opposite coastline is so clearly visible across the strip
> of Mediterranean that you imagine a bridge would span the gap easily.
> But the bridge option was discarded years ago - it would have needed
> 900-metre supports, and would not have withstood the fearsome winds
> and currents that lash the Mediterranean bottleneck.
>
> Nor will the proposed tunnel join the two continents at the narrowest
> point. The Strait plunges to nearly 1,000 metres in depth, so a
> longer, shallower tunnel descending to only 300 metres is planned. It
> would run from Morocco's Cape Malabata, near Tangier, to Punta Paloma
> near Cadiz in Spain, an underwater stretch of some 28km. With gently
> sloping approaches on either side, the full length of the tunnel will
> be 40km.
>
> Compounding the difficulties, however, is the seabed around Gibraltar,
> which is made of shifting sands. The tunnel must run deep beneath the
> seabed.
>
> Rabat is particularly keen on the project, seeing a fixed link as
> tangible evidence that the country is closer to Europe. "We've done a
> tremendous amount of work to make this dream come true, to go from an
> idea into something we can transform into reality," said Karim
> Ghellab, Morocco's Transport minister, this week. "It's hard to
> predict a date, but it's a project that will happen."
>
> No one has put a figure on the final cost, though estimates range from
> â?¬6.5bn to â?¬13bn. Both Spain and Morocco have applied for funds from
> the EU, and promise lucrative private contracts.
>
> The partner countries hope the tunnel would improve prosperity in
> southern Spain and northern Morocco; traffic between the two is
> already huge. Up to a million Moroccans live in Spain,more still in
> France and elsewhere in Europe, while Morocco hopes to attract 10
> million tourists in 2010.
>

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

the funniest line :-
No one has put a figure on the final cost, though estimates range from
€6.5bn to €13bn.

On Jan 30, 5:39 pm, "Frank F. Matthews"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I wonder how they could manage to find any fools to help finance the
> thing. Oh, I forgot, there are plenty of government fools.
>

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:39:47 -0600, "Frank F. Matthews"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer

it needs to go faster than that.
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

The Reid wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:39:47 -0600, "Frank F. Matthews"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>>Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
>
>
> it needs to go faster than that.

That might limit losses though.

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

On s'en fout !!

"Frank F. Matthews" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message
de news: [email protected]...
>
>
> The Reid wrote:
>> On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:39:47 -0600, "Frank F. Matthews"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
>>
>>
>> it needs to go faster than that.
>
> That might limit losses though.

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:30:32 -0600, "Frank F. Matthews"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> it needs to go faster than that.
>
>That might limit losses though.

gove spoons to all the wanabie illegal immigrants and tell them they
can stay when they finish?
--
Mike Reid
UK walking, food, photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Spain walking, food, tourism "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Beginners UK flight sim addons "http://www.lawn-mower-man.co.uk"

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

On 2007-01-30, Frank F. Matthews <[email protected]> wrote:
> I wonder how they could manage to find any fools to help finance the
> thing.

The Africans can't afford it, and the Europeans don't want it.

Re: Tunnel linking Europe and Africa inches closer
 

chuckle!