Rail tunnel linking Morocco and Spain 'is no longer a pipe dream'
A rail link similar to the Channel Tunnel that would join Spain and Morocco could soon become a reality - depending on the outcome of a feasibility study due later this year, according to a new report.
The tunnel, which would run underneath the Strait of Gibraltar, would represent an major engineering but it could provide a major economic boost to both Spain and Morocco, as well as creating an entirely new link with Africa.
The feasibility report will take into account economic arguments for and against the construction of the tunnel, as well as how considerable technical difficulties involving the geology of the area could be overcome, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Tajeddine el-Husseini, professor of international economic law at Mohamed V University in Rabat, explained that the existence of a tunnel could overcome barrier to trade in the region.
He remarked: "Tourist flows will accelerate because people will be able to come with their own transport. For now, the need to cross by boat presents a psychological and practical barrier."
The Channel Tunnel opened for the first time in 1994 - although the project's origins dated back to the mid-19th century.
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