Rail freight under

IN limbo for years, plans for a tunnel linking Spain and Morocco have been officially revived. Seen as one of the most ambitious undersea projects in the world, the tunnel plan features a double-rail track and additional service line stretching 38.5 km, of which 28 km would run under the Mediterranean at a maximum depth of 475m.

Working through a joint committee, two state-run companies, Spain's SECEGSA and Sned of Morocco have commenced feasibility studies that would, over the next four decades, involve multiple tests and preliminary drilling work.

After considering various scenarios, they agreed on a model inspired by the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, that would run from Punta Paloma near Tarifa in southern Spain to Malabata near Tangiers in Morocco.

According to SECEGSA, the tunnel would, in the medium term, enable the annual passage of more than 13 million tons of goods and 12.8 million passengers, which could "significantly contribute" to the economic development of the western Mediterranean.

In linking the two countries' rail networks, the tunnel would "boost the European and African economies", said Claudio Olalla, an engineer and professor emeritus at Madrid's Polytechnic University who has been working on the project for some time.

The two sides discussed the vast project during a summit in Rabat earlier this year.

"We are going to give a new impetus to studies into the Gibraltar Strait link project," said Spanish Transport Minister Raquel Sanchez in a statement announcing that the joint committee grouping SECEGSA and Sned would resume talks.