Science fiction or soon reality? The plan for an underwater tunnel between Europe and Africa should be realized by 2030

An underwater connection between Europe and Africa would greatly facilitate travel from one continent to the other.

We have heard that there is an underwater connection between Europe and Africa. By 2030, the idea of an underwater tunnel connecting these two continents should be realized. Great credit for this goes to the World Cup in football, which is to be hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco in 2030. Everything should be greatly facilitated by the already existing Al Boraq high-speed rail link, between Casablanca and Tangier.

Photo: Unsplash/Christopher Moreno Stokoe

If you thought the idea of a bridge between Italy and Sicily sounded ambitious, think again. With the 2030 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco as mentioned, it could bring an underwater rail tunnel. Something like the Channel Tunnel. The tunnel should be built between Morocco and Gibraltar, along the length of Gibraltar, and should facilitate the connection between individual destinations.

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The tunnel is 28 km long

These ideas are nothing new. The connection between Europe and Africa in the Strait of Gibraltar was alive as early as 1930, but it was not realized until now. These days, however, the Moroccan state company for strait studies confirmed that they are in the phase of determining the necessary financial and strategic elements for the construction of the tunnel. The tunnel is said to be 28 km long, and at its deepest point it is said to reach up to 475 m below the water level.

The tunnel would connect Punta Paloma, west of Tarifa in southern Spain, to Malabata, east of Tangier in northern Morocco. The flight from Casablanca to Madrid currently takes about two hours, while the drive takes as long as 12 hours. By crossing the tunnel, the distance between the two cities would be covered in five hours. According to the Telegraph, more than 12.8 million passengers a year could travel through the tunnel, along with 13 million tons of cargo. A third maintenance tunnel will also be built. The project should be estimated for an investment of approximately 7 billion.

The proposals have been billed as one of the world's most ambitious underwater projects, with the route crossing the geological divide between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.