Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Spain, Morocco To Build Undersea Rail Tunnels

Posted by timothy on from the chunupmanship dept.

DoraLives writes "The BBC reports that Spain and Morocco 'have agreed to build a 39-kilometre rail tunnel beneath the Mediterranean Sea, to link Europe and Africa.' and that 'This plan could be put into action as early as next year...' Fairly daunting technical piece of work should they attempt it, but the prospect of an all-rail trip from Edinburgh to Tangiers is intriguing to say the least."

10 of 503 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I can't help but wonder... by doubtless · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You forgot about tourism being the biggest industry.

    Much of europe, and of course Spain, are linked with very good railway system. A link to North Africa will boost tourism to both the countries as one has to travel to Spain enroute to Africa.

    Lets not forget other possible usage of the link, like transportation of goods, etc.

    --
    geek page at KY speaks
  2. What about the refugees? by GrodinTierce · · Score: 5, Insightful
    If there are refugee problems with the Chunnel, then I shudder to think what they will be like with this tunnel, considering the tremendous disparities in wealth between the 2 countries (roughly $800 to $100 billion in GDP). People will flock to be smuggled through the tunnel not just to Spain, but to all of Europe.

    Also, does anyone know how the depth of this tunnel would compare to that of the Chunnel?

    --


    Tierce
    Who sponsors your feelings?
  3. Actually... by product+byproduct · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because of the curvature of the Earth the shortest path between San Francisco and Tokyo goes as high as 48 N. So going through the Bering strait wouldn't be too much of a detour, and connecting Japan to mainland Asia isn't laughably hard. Check a map, or better yet, a globe.

    1. Re:Actually... by starcraftsicko · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Problem with Japan to Mainland Asia Tunnel/bridge is that part of the world is earthquake prone. Even if they built it, you'd have to have a deathwish to use it.

  4. Re:$? Re:Bah, that's nothing by Mmm_Coco · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It might be a misprint, but a tunnel under the water doesn't have to be as complicated as one under Boston. It's just a big concrete-lined bore-hole. You don't have to worry about making sure the ground above you doesn't collapse, after you get past a certain depth. It doesn't even need to be ventilated, as the trains will be run by electricity. By comparison, a car tunnel under a city is shallow and has to be ventilated. (so people don't die from suffocating on trapped car exhaust.) While not as large an undertaking, the Big Dig is much more intricate.

  5. Re:$? Re:Bah, that's nothing by arcmay · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The Big Dig is NOT just the new Ted Williams tunnel under Boston Harbor. A majority of the cost was spent putting a 10 lane highway that passes underneath the city, building a 14 lane bridge over the Charles, as well as a lot of other work. And those huge cost overruns were due more to poor management and corruption than legitimate unforseen expenses.



    It's fair to say that the Big Dig was too expensive, but I don't think that it could be considered "easy" relative to anything.



    I think your point would've been better made comparing this project to the Chunnel. That 30 mile link cost about $13 billion (U.S.). So, yeah, 30 million seems a bit on the low side.

  6. The problem is that there are no big cities nearby by SmilingBoy · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The Eurostar is great - it connects London with Paris and Brussels. All these are big cities, and a lot of business travel is happening between them. It's extremely comfortable, you have space and get a nice 4 course meal (I'm doing this every month...). Still, the market share on London/Paris and London/Brussels is only about 50% - many people still prefer flying to save an hour. Also, Eurochunnel was bankrupt once, this implies that the whole project was not efficient to undertake (ex post).

    How on Earth could it ever be profitable to connect Spain and Morocco? It's impossible. Madrid is the only city in Spain that could rival London, Paris or Brussels. And it already takes 6 hours to get from Madrid to the proposed tunnel! And then, there is no large business city on the other side. No business traveler will be taking the train. The plane will always be preferred on such distances.

    Am I making sense? Had to work throughout the night.

  7. Transportation Networks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To any of you that don't work on transportation networks...

    Do you have the slightest idea how much shorter the trip from Europe to Africa will be? Imagine Holland for example, which exports wheat to African countries in many situations. Their cheapest way to travel is of course by road, but too time consuming and it needs a trip through Continental Europe, bosphorus (Turkey, which they don't like at all), then Syria, Libanon, Israel, Egypt, etc. Now we get a direct link from Spain to Marocco.

    Here is my prediction on how things will go, if this actually is successful.
    1. Marocco and Spain will get rich from customs and the rest of the two continents will depend heavily on them for trade routes.
    2. The English shipping industry will loose considerable amounts of money (they already did with the England/France tunnel).
    3. Marocco will once again gain political influence in Africa, and will of course probably win over Western Sahara (there's been a disbute there for a long time, in case you didn't know).
    4. Someone will figure out a way to involve Linux in this, eventhough Microsoft advertisements will fill the tunnel.

    In case anyone wants to know more about the geography of transportation, a good intro is located at: http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/

  8. Re:$? Re:Bah, that's nothing by IM6100 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Also, a car tunnel under a city has the huge problems of getting right-of-way and working around existing structures. All the political hassles and what-not. I would imagine Boston would be one of the most-expensive-possible places to do that sort of thing, with it's massively built-up government and public/private infrastructure. It probably costs a Million dollars to install a newspaper sales box in downtown Boston.

    --
    A Good Intro to NetBS
  9. Re:Bah, that's nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    25 years ago, people ran Unix on computers. Today people run Unix on computers. 25 years ago, the largest passenger aircraft was the 747. Today, the largest passenger aircraft is the 747. 25 years ago, the fastest passenger aircraft went Mach 2. Today, the fastest passenger aircraft is subsonic. 25 years ago, people drove cars that looked like metal boxes with windows, with a driver and a passenger seat in the front, and a backseat holding 2 or 3 people. Today, people drive cars that look like metal boxes with windows, with a driver and a passenger seat in the front, and a backseat holding 2 or 3 people. 25 years ago, it was a handful of years since men stepped on the moon, just a few years before the first shuttle flight, with the Russians flying sojouz space craft. Today, it's over 30 years ago men last stepped on the moon, the shuttle is grounded with no alternative, and the Russians are still flying the same space craft.

    25 years ago, half the population of the earth was poor, had no easy access to fresh water, and millions were fleeing war and disorder. Today, half the population of the earth is poor, and has no easy access to fresh water, and millions are fleeing war and disorder.

    Abigail