Latest Updates on Morocco-Spain Undersea Rail Line Study

Updated October 30, 2025- A Spanish government study has reached a conclusion that the construction of Morocco-Spain Undersea Rail Line Tunnel connecting Morocco and Spain is technically feasible.

According to Spanish news outlet Vozpópuli, the ambitious Africa- Europe tunnel project would take approximately a decade to complete. Also, the project would be constructed at a cost of €8.5 billion for the Spanish portion alone.

The feasibility study was conducted by German company Herrenknecht. Herrenknecht is a world leader in tunnel boring machines. This feasibility study was conducted at the request of the Spanish government’s company SECEGSA (Spanish Company for Studies on Fixed Communication across the Gibraltar Strait).

According to the report which the Spanish government has had since June, it confirms that despite extreme complexity of constructing the tunnel, with the advantage of current technology, the project can be executed.

Furthermore, according to Vozpópuli, since receiving the study, the government has begun to “land” it internally across different departments. The government is doing this with a view to establishing the foundations for a tender beyond June 2026.

Timelines

The Spanish and Moroccan sides have reportedly committed to making a final decision in 2027 regarding the tender for a first exploratory tunnel, according to the consulted sources.

Similar Projects

Ambitious tunnel projects are springing up across across Africa. In a similar ambitious tunnel project, the Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to build what could become Africa’s First Underwater Tunnel. This tunnel will connect the ongoing Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways.

Reported on February 4, 2025

Spanish-based Herrenknecht Iberica has been awarded the contract for a drilling feasibility study for the Morocco-Spain undersea rail line. The line involves a 38.5km stretch between Tarifa in Spain and Tangier in Morocco. Moreover, the scope of implementation also entails a double-rail track. According to local media reports, the study is expected to start immediately and be completed by June. Last year in June, the Spanish government revived the monumental project. This was facilitated by the $2.5 million that was allocated for a renewed design study.

The Morocco-Spain undersea rail line was launched in 2003 but was later put on hold after the 2008 financial crisis. After that, it has undergone several rounds of feasibility studies. However, it remains in the study stage after nearly twenty years of delays linked to funding. Apart from the earlier plans of a double-rail track and an additional 38.5 km stretch service line, there are plans to include a 28-kilometer section. The section is expected to run under the Mediterranean Sea at a maximum depth of 475 meters.

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The Scope of Implementation on the Morocco-Spain Undersea Rail Line.

The implementation of the Morocco-Spain undersea rail line will see both countries develop the project jointly. This will be done through Morocco’s National Society for Strait of Gibraltar Studies for the Moroccan side. On the other hand, the Sociedad Espanola de Estudios para the Communicacion Fija a Traves del Estrecho de Gibraltar will oversee implementation for the Spanish side. The maximum depth of the tunnels will be 300 meters.

Each single-track tunnel will have a diameter of 7.9 meters on the inner side. Furthermore, the service gallery will be 6 meters in diameter to ensure ease of passage and access. The design of the tunnel and preliminary studies are available, which is expected to facilitate the project’s commencement. In 2006, Swiss engineering firm Lombardi Engineering was selected to design the tunnel, and preliminary studies were completed two years later.

Also read:

Morocco-Spain High-Speed Rail Route Set to Link Madrid to Casablanca

Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain) Underwater Tunnel