Morocco-Spain Tunnel Project Estimated at €15 Billion, Completion by 2040

The tunnel project under the strait is gradually taking shape. The Spanish Company for Studies on the Fixed Link through the Strait of Gibraltar (SECEGSA) has recently commissioned two technical feasibility studies for the project. They concern the geotechnical analysis of the Camarinal sill, entrusted to Herrenknecht Ibérica, and the seismic monitoring of the strait using seismometers rented from Tekpam Ingeniería. The completion of these two studies is scheduled for September 2025, according to La Razón.

The project plans the construction of a 60-kilometer railway tunnel, with 28 kilometers under the sea, connecting Tangier in Morocco to Algeciras in Spain. With this length, the tunnel under the strait would eventually be one of the longest in the world, ahead of the Eurotunnel (50.5 km) and the Japanese Seikan (53.8 km). In the first phase of the project, the construction of a single shared gallery in both directions is planned. The second phase plans to double the tunnel to separate the two directions.

The cost of the project is estimated at more than 15 billion euros. This financing will be obtained through contributions from Spain, Morocco and the European Union. To date, nearly four million euros have already been mobilized: 100,000 euros in 2022, 750,000 euros in 2023 and 2.7 million euros, including more than 2 million euros in European funds, in 2024. According to forecasts, the tunnel will not be completed before 2040.

The tunnel under the strait aims to strengthen the connection between Europe and Africa, facilitating trade, freight transport and tourism. It will also accelerate the rail integration between the continents. In this sense, Morocco is working on the extension of its rail network from Tanger Med to Europe in order to make this port a logistics hub for North Africa.