Spain and Morocco Revise Plans for Gibraltar Strait Railway Tunnel Ahead of 2030 World Cup

Morocco and Spain are working actively on the Gibraltar Strait tunnel project. The two countries are now opting for a railway tunnel instead of a tunnel "allowing the circulation of vehicles, due to problems related to traffic congestion, which could cause many problems, especially during peak periods, due to the intensification of the number of freight carriers transiting through the Strait of Gibraltar," report Spanish media. A railway tunnel that will allow the transport of vehicles and trucks, as well as the circulation of high-speed trains.

During a visit to Morocco in March, Óscar Puente, the Spanish Minister of Transport, informed the Moroccan Minister of Transport, Mohammed Abdeljalil, and the Minister of Infrastructure and Water, Nizar Baraka, of the interest of Spanish companies in participating in the development projects of the transport sector in the kingdom in general and in the Morocco-Spain tunnel under the strait in particular. The latter will be on the agenda of the next High-Level Meeting between Morocco and Spain, the date of which has not yet been set. "A boost will be given to the studies of the project, launched by the two countries forty years ago, a strategic project for Spain and Morocco but also for Europe and Africa," had declared Raquel Sánchez, the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, during the last Spain-Morocco Summit held in Rabat in 2023.

The future tunnel, "whose preliminary studies define the distance at 38.7 km, of which 27.8 km under water, at the confluence between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, will transport thousands of passengers and goods between two railway terminals, 42 km apart and served by high-speed shuttle trains (HST)," reports the daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia. This railway tunnel will facilitate the movement of people and goods between Africa and Europe.