View source for Proposed British Isles fixed sea link connections

{{short description|Proposed Ireland-Great Britain tunnels or bridges}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
There are a number of proposed fixed connections—road or rail, bridge or tunnel—designed to connect the islands of [[Ireland]] and [[Great Britain]], connect the island of Great Britain to [[Continental Europe|mainland Europe]], as well as to build other connections amongst the smaller islands in the [[British Islands]].
== Proposed fixed sea links between Great Britain and Ireland ==
=== Possible routes ===
[[File:Irish Sea tunnels.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Possible Irish Sea connections]]
==== North Channel (Galloway) route ====
This route, a distance of {{convert|21|mi|km}}, has been proposed variously as either a tunnel or a bridge.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6958191.stm | work=BBC News | title=Bridge to Northern Ireland mooted | date=22 August 2007}}</ref> A 2010 report by the Centre for Cross Border Studies estimated building a bridge between Galloway and Ulster would cost just under £20.5 billion.<ref name="scotsman1">{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/business/companies/could-a-bridge-or-tunnel-one-day-link-scotland-with-ireland-1-4130353 |title=Could a bridge or tunnel one day link Scotland with Ireland? |publisher=The Scotsman |date=17 May 2016 |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref> The proposal would see passengers board trains in [[Glasgow]] then cross on the bridge via [[Stranraer]] and alight in [[Belfast]] or [[Dublin]]. A [[Hangzhou Bay Bridge|longer bridge]] already exists between [[Shanghai]] and [[Ningbo]] in [[East China]]. Some political parties in Northern Ireland have included the bridge in their manifesto for some time.<ref name="eveningtimes1">{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13307549.Building_bridges___literally__Unionists_plan_for_link_between_Scotland_and_Ulster/|title=Building bridges - literally: Unionists plan for link between Scotland and Ulster|website=Evening Times|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref> However, because of the [[Beaufort's Dyke]] sea trench which is approximately {{convert|1000|ft|m}} deep,<ref>{{cite web |title=Free Marine Navigation Nautical Charts & Fishing Maps |url=http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html?title=Dublin+Bay+boating+app#8.24/55.2215/-5.9027 |website=iBoating |access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref> this route would be deeper than the southern routes between Wales and Ireland. The sea trench was also used for dumping munitions after [[World War II]], and so would require an expensive cleanup operation.<ref name="scotsman1"/> Ronnie Hunter, former chairman of the Institute of Civil Engineers Scotland, suggested that the project was a "stretch but doable". He cited the lack of "soft rock, the chalk and sandstone" as a challenge compared to the construction of the Channel Tunnel.<ref name="eveningtimes1"/> He also suggested that the change in [[Track gauge in Ireland|rail gauge between Ireland]] and Great Britain might pose further concerns. Such a project was considered by railway engineer [[Luke Livingston Macassey]] in the 1890s as "a rail link using either a tunnel, a submerged "tubular bridge" or a solid causeway".<ref>{{cite news|last=McKenzie|first=Steven|title=Scotland-Ireland undersea rail link plan 'a surprise'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15187431|access-date=5 February 2012|newspaper=BBC News – Highlands & Islands|date=9 October 2011}}</ref> The north channel crossing was the subject of a 2020 study by the [[United Kingdom]] government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/study-backs-bridge-tunnel-structure-between-northern-ireland-and-scotland-38940776.html|title=Study backs bridge-tunnel structure between Northern Ireland and Scotland|work=belfasttelegraph|access-date=2020-02-10|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scotland-northern-ireland-bridge-boris-johnson-to-revive-20bn-plan-1-5088111|title=Scotland - Northern Ireland bridge: Boris Johnson to revive £20bn plan|website=www.scotsman.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-10}}</ref>
==== North Channel (Kintyre) route ====
This is the shortest sea route at around {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}}, between [[Kintyre]] and [[County Antrim]], but would include either the three hour drive on the [[A83 road]] around [[Loch Fyne]] and over the landslip-prone Rest and Be Thankful mountain pass, or two further new sea crossings via either the [[Isle of Arran]] or [[Cowal]].<ref name="Castella">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23672538|title=A bridge across the Irish Sea and four other amazing plans|first=Tom de|last=Castella|date=14 August 2013|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/business/companies/could-a-bridge-or-tunnel-one-day-link-scotland-with-ireland-1-4130353|title=Could a bridge or tunnel one day link Scotland with Ireland?}}</ref>
==== Irish Mail route ====
This route (from Dublin to [[Holyhead]] in Anglesey, Wales) would be about {{convert|81|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}} long.<ref name="Castella"/> Avoiding the [[St George's Channel|Saint George's Channel]] immediately to the south of the route would keep the sea depth less than 300 feet (100 m).
==== Tuskar route ====
The [[Institution of Engineers of Ireland]]'s 2004 ''Vision of Transport in Ireland in 2050'' imagines a tunnel to be built between the ports of [[Fishguard]] and [[Rosslare Harbour|Rosslare]]. This route would be approximately twice the distance of the English Channel Tunnel at {{convert|45|mi}}.<ref>''A Vision of Transport in Ireland in 2050'', [https://igi.ie/assets/files/Breaking%20Ground/Waters.pdf], The Irish Academy of Engineers, 21 December 2004.</ref> A new container port on the [[Shannon Estuary]] linking a freight line to Europe is included. This report also includes ideas for a [[Belfast]]–[[Dublin]]–[[Cork (city)|Cork]] [[high-speed rail|high-speed train]], and for a new freight line from Rosslare to Shannon.
=== Proposal history ===
==== Pre-20th century proposals ====
The failure of the Union Bill 1799 (which succeeded, the next year, as the [[Act of Union 1800]]) prompted a satirical description of a proposal by "architect" [[William Pitt the Younger|William Pitt]] "to build a bridge from [[Holyhead]] to the Hill of [[Howth]]."<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal |journal=The Anti-Union |number=20 |date=9 February 1799  |title=Plans for a Bridge from Holy-Head to the Hill of Howth|page=80 |jstor=30059887 |url=https://archive.org/details/jstor-30059887}}</ref>
As part of the unionist movement, various roads were built across Great Britain heading towards Ireland; In 1803 [[William Madocks]] started building earthworks for a road to [[Porthdinllaen]]; this was rejected by Parliament in 1810 in favour of a [[A5 road (Great Britain)#Telford's Holyhead Road|London to Holyhead road]], which was authorised in 1815, built by [[Thomas Telford]], and opened in 1826.
Between 1886 and 1900, proposals for a link to Scotland were "seriously explored by engineers, industrialists, and [[Ulster Unionism|Unionist]] politicians".<ref name="Hughes2013">{{cite book|last=Hughes|first=Kyle|title=The Scots in Victorian and Edwardian Belfast: A Study in Elite Migration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3kyrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128|access-date=25 September 2015|date=1 December 2013|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=9780748679935|pages=128, fn.39}}</ref>
In 1885, ''Irish Builder and Engineer'' said a tunnel under the Irish Sea had been discussed "for some time back".<ref>{{cite journal|title=Tunnel Under the Irish Sea|journal=Irish Builder and Engineer |date=15 July 1885 |publisher=Howard MacGarvey & Sons|volume=27|page=197}}</ref> In 1890, engineer Luke Livingston Macassey outlined a Stranraer–Belfast link by tunnel, submerged "tubular bridge", or solid causeway.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15187431 | work=BBC News | title=Scotland-Ireland undersea rail link plan 'a surprise' | date=9 October 2011}}</ref> In 1897 a British firm applied for £15,000 towards the cost of carrying out borings and soundings in the [[North Channel (British Isles)|North Channel]] to see if a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland was viable.<ref>"Tunnel Under the Sea", The Washington Post, 2 May 1897 [https://web.archive.org/web/20070301133933/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/282943272.html?dids=282943272:282943272&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=MAY+02%2C+1897&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=TUNNEL+UNDER+THE+SEA&pqatl=google (Archive link)]</ref> The link would have been of immense commercial benefit, was significant strategically and would have meant faster transatlantic travel from the United Kingdom, via Galway and other ports in Ireland.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} When [[H. O. Arnold-Forster|Hugh Arnold-Foster]] asked in the Commons in 1897 about a North Channel tunnel, [[Arthur Balfour]] said "the financial aspects ... are not of a very promising character".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1897/mar/22/tunnel-ireland-and-scotland|title=TUNNEL (IRELAND AND SCOTLAND)|date=22 March 1897|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|pages=HC Deb vol 47 cc1125–6|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>
==== 20th century proposal ====
In 1915, a tunnel was proposed by [[Gershom Stewart]] as a defence against a [[U-boat Campaign (World War I)|German U-boat blockade]] of Ireland but dismissed by [[H.&nbsp;H. Asquith]] as "hardly practicable in the present circumstances".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1915/feb/23/irish-channel-tunnel|title=IRISH CHANNEL TUNNEL|date=23 February 1915|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|pages=HC Deb vol 70 c168|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> In 1918, Stewart proposed that German prisoners of war might dig the tunnel; [[Bonar Law]] said the [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|Select Committee]] on Transport could consider the matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1918/oct/22/tunnel-to-ireland|title=TUNNEL TO IRELAND|date=22 October 1918|work=HC Deb vol 110 c594|page=Hansard|access-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>
The [[Senate of Northern Ireland]] debated a North Channel Tunnel on 25 May 1954.<ref name="Senate1955">{{cite book|chapter=North Channel Tunnel|title=Parliamentary Debates: The Senate |volume=38|year=1955|publisher=[[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] |pages=513–531}}</ref>  In 1956 [[Harford Hyde]], [[Unionists (Ireland)|Unionist]] Westminster MP for [[Belfast North (UK Parliament constituency)|North Belfast]], raised a motion in the [[UK House of Commons]] for a tunnel across the North Channel.<ref>"An Irishman's Diary" by Wesley Boyd, [https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2004/0207/3742943993DIFEB7.html (Link)], [[The Irish Times]], Feb 2004 (subscription required)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1956/mar/23/irish-channel-tunnel|title=IRISH CHANNEL TUNNEL|date=23 March 1956|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|no-pp=y|pages=HC Deb vol 550 cc1641–88|access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref> In 1980, [[John Biggs-Davison]] suggested [[European Economic Community]] involvement in a North Channel tunnel; [[Philip Goodhart]] said no tunnel was planned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1980/feb/04/irish-sea-tunnel|title=Irish Sea (Tunnel)|date=4 February 1980|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|pages=HC Deb vol 978 c85W|access-date=25 September 2015}} (Link has incorrect question; correct question is [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1980/feb/04/irish-sea-tunnel on preceding page] with incorrect answer)</ref>
In 1988, [[John Wilson (Irish politician)|John Wilson]], the Irish [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Tourism and Transport]], said his department estimated an Irish Sea tunnel would cost more than twice as much as the English [[Channel Tunnel]] and generate less than one-fifth of the revenue, thus being economically unviable.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1988-11-16/36/|title=Written Answers. - Sea Transport.|date=16 November 1988|work=Dáil Éireann debates|pages=Vol. 384 No. 3|access-date=2021-08-04}}</ref> In 1997–98, the [[Department of Public Enterprise]] refused to fund a feasibility study requested by the engineering firm [[Symonds (engineering company)|Symonds]] to build an [[immersed tube]] tunnel.<ref name="ind26119579">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/plan-to-build-rail-tunnel-under-sea-26119579.html|title=Plan to build rail tunnel under sea|date=7 April 2000|access-date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates+authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail2000032900066|title=Written Answers — Ireland-UK Tunnel.|date=29 March 2000|work=Dáil debates|access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref>
====21st century proposal====
Symonds revived the plan in 2000, with an £8&nbsp;million feasibility study and a £14&nbsp;billion construction cost estimate.<ref name="ind26119579" /> In 2005, the Irish Minister for Transport said he had not studied ''A Vision of Transport in Ireland in 2050'', published in September 2004 by the Irish Academy of Engineering, a report which included a Wexford–Pembroke tunnel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates+authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail2005021500065|title=Written Answers - Transport Projects|date=15 February 2005|work=Dáil Éireann debates|access-date=22 September 2015}}</ref>
The proposal of building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland is supported by members of several UK political parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/business/companies/could-a-bridge-or-tunnel-one-day-link-scotland-with-ireland-1-4130353|title=Could a bridge or tunnel one day link Scotland with Ireland?|work=The Scotsman |language=en|access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13307549.Building_bridges___literally__Unionists_plan_for_link_between_Scotland_and_Ulster/|title=Building bridges - literally: Unionists plan for link between Scotland and Ulster |website=Evening Times|language=en|access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref> [[Sammy Wilson (politician)|DUP MP Sammy Wilson]] compared the idea to the approved [[Channel Tunnel]] and [[High Speed 2|HS2]] projects. The party made a feasibility study into a tunnel or enclosed bridge a precondition to coalition support in the event of a hung parliament in the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 election]], and again reiterated the potential for a sea bridge in January 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2015-northern-ireland-32394480|title=Election 2015: DUP votes 'may be vital' in forming government|date=21 April 2015|work=BBC News|access-date=6 March 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="metro1">{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/24/bridge-built-scotland-northern-ireland-7255433/ |title=Scotland to Northern Ireland bridge could be built between Larne and Dumfries and Galloway |work=Metro  |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref> In January 2018, leading figures in the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] revived calls for a bridge or tunnel between [[Larne]] in [[County Antrim]] and [[Dumfries and Galloway]];<ref name="metro1"/> the estimated £20 billion cost of the {{Convert|25|mile|abbr=out}} project would make it among the biggest infrastructure projects in UK history. The link was proposed by Wilson and [[Simon Hamilton]], a former minister for the party in the [[Northern Ireland Executive|Stormont administration]].
The idea has been further endorsed as a potential solution to boost the economies of Scotland and Northern Ireland after [[Brexit]].<ref name="thenational1">{{cite web|first=Kathleen |last=Nutt |url=http://www.thenational.scot/news/15887107.Bridge_from_Scotland_to_Ireland_could_create__Celtic_powerhouse_/ |title=Bridge from Scotland to Ireland could create 'Celtic powerhouse' |newspaper=The National |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>
====Late 2010s "Celtic Crossing" and Stranraer&ndash;Larne Sea Tunnel proposal====
{{main|Irish Sea Bridge}}
[[File:Øresund_Bridge_from_the_air_in_September_2015.jpg|thumb|The project has been compared to the [[Øresund Bridge]] (pictured), between Sweden and Denmark<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/transport/news/109769/government-officials-begin-work-boris-johnsons-plan-scotland-ni-bridge|title=Government officials begin work on Boris Johnson's plan for a Scotland-NI bridge, Number 10 confirms|website=PoliticsHome|date=10 February 2020|first=Eleanor|last=Langford}}</ref>]]
The idea for a Scotland to Northern Ireland Bridge, sometimes branded in the press as the Celtic Crossing or [[Irish Sea Bridge]], was revived in 2018, by Professor Alan Dunlop at the [[University of Liverpool]].<ref name=images>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/new-images-of-bridge-to-link-scotland-with-northern-ireland-released-1-4795359|title=New images of bridge to link Scotland with Northern Ireland released|author=Alison Campsie|work=The Scotsman|date=5 September 2018|access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> He proposed a combined road and rail crossing between [[Portpatrick]], in Dumfries and Galloway, and [[Larne]] in Northern Ireland, stating that "the coastline between each country is more sheltered and the waterway better protected" than the [[English Channel]], where, as [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]], [[Boris Johnson]] had proposed a bridge. He suggested that this would create a 'Celtic powerhouse' due to the potential for an increase in trade between the two countries, and the increase in [[Keynesian economics#Active fiscal policy|investment from the construction]] of the project which he put at between £15 billion and £20 billion (a fraction of the £120 billion cost of the proposed bridge over the English Channel).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-42772343 |title=Top architect insists Scotland - Northern Ireland bridge 'is feasible' |work=[[BBC News]]  |date=22 January 2018 |access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="thenational1"/>
By 2020, the British government had begun to officially undertake scoping into the possibility of an [[Irish Sea Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2020-02-10/scotland-northern-ireland-bridge-boris-johnson/|title=Irish Sea bridge: Scoping work begins on Boris Johnson's 'ambitious' idea|work=[[ITV News]]|date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
In February 2021, the [[Secretary of State for Scotland]] announced his support for a {{convert|25|mile|adj=on}} sea tunnel from [[Stranraer]] to [[Larne]], citing the weather impact on bridge opening and the need to avoid [[Beaufort's Dyke]] munitions dump as reasons for favouring a tunnel over a bridge.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hope|first=Christopher|date=2021-02-13|title='Boris's Burrow tunnel' to Northern Ireland could get green light|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/02/13/boris-burrow-tunnel-northern-ireland-set-get-green-light/|access-date=2021-02-14|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Roach|first=April|date=2021-02-14|title=Tunnel linking Scotland and Northern Ireland set to get green light|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/boris-burrow-tunnel-northern-ireland-scotland-b919753.html|access-date=2021-02-14|website=www.standard.co.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title='Boris's burrow': Tunnel linking Scotland and N Ireland backed by Scottish secretary Alister Jack|url=https://news.sky.com/story/boriss-burrow-tunnel-linking-scotland-and-n-ireland-backed-by-scottish-secretary-alister-jack-12217797|access-date=2021-02-14|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref> This proposal also received the support of the [[High-speed rail in the United Kingdom]] industry group.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Jamie|last=Grierson|date=2021-02-14|title=Rail bosses plan to build Northern Ireland to Scotland tunnel|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/14/rail-bosses-revive-plan-to-build-tunnel-from-scotland-to-northern-ireland|access-date=2021-02-14|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In September 2021, it was announced that the entire proposal has been abandoned.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-14|title=Boris Johnson's Scotland-Northern Ireland tunnel plans axed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/14/boris-johnson-scotland-northern-ireland-tunnel-plans-axed|access-date=2021-09-15|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
It was also reported in February 2021 that a proposal was considered by the government relating to an underground roundabout to be built under the [[Isle of Man]] to link [[Liverpool]], [[Heysham]], [[Stranraer]] and [[Larne]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Tim|last=Shipman|title=Tunnel vision: now PM sets his sights on a roundabout under the Isle of Man|newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tunnel-vision-now-pm-sets-his-sights-on-a-roundabout-under-the-isle-of-man-cg9523lxp|access-date=2021-02-22|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ing|first=Will|date=2021-02-22|title=Boris Johnson 'wants to build roundabout under the Isle of Man'|url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-wants-to-build-roundabout-under-the-isle-of-man|access-date=2021-02-22|website=The Architects’ Journal|language=en}}</ref>
The Hendy Review published in November 2021 which looked into the proposals claimed that the cost of the fixed link, in either a bridge or tunnel form, was "impossible to justify" in this area given the sea depth, Beaufort's Dyke, and though noted "the economic viability of the provision of such a link is not within the scope of [the] study", recommended that it would regardless take too long to recoup the costs to justify further research.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cost of £335bn bridge from NI to Scotland not justifiable, UK government says |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/cost-of-335bn-bridge-from-ni-to-scotland-not-justifiable-uk-government-says-1.4739942 |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>
==== 2020s Holyhead&ndash;Dublin tunnel proposal ====
In May 2021 the then British Transport Secretary [[Grant Shapps]] discussed the case for a tunnel between [[Holyhead]] and [[Dublin]] along the [[Irish Mail]] route.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/uk-government-idea-for-tunnel-betweenwales-and-dublin-best-to-ignore-40468151.html|title=UK government idea for tunnel between Wales and Dublin 'best to ignore'|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|first=Gillian|last=Halliday|date=25 May 2021}}</ref>
The proposed tunnel would be a rail tunnel designed to work in much the same way as the Channel Tunnel, with (on the UK side) a main terminus in [[Liverpool]] (similar to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras International]]) and another in [[Anglesey]] (similar to the [[Eurotunnel Folkestone Terminal]]). Via the [[Northern Powerhouse Rail]] network and [[High Speed 2 Phase Two]] extension, the rail line would be able to connect up with the rest of the UK's High-Speed rail network. On the Irish side the train would terminate in a new purpose-built station in Dublin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Catherine |date=2021-05-26 |title=Wales to Ireland tunnel 'more attractive' than Scotland to Northern Ireland link |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/wales-to-ireland-tunnel-more-attractive-than-scotland-to-northern-ireland-link-26-05-2021/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=New Civil Engineer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-08-14 |title=A bridge across the Irish Sea and four other amazing plans |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23672538 |access-date=2023-10-09}}</ref>
Although the tunnel would be longer than the length of the proposed [[Irish Sea Bridge]], the water in this area is shallower, and there are less obstructions (such as Beaufort's Dyke). The tunnel would be 50 miles in length (approximately twice the length of the Channel Tunnel and around 20 miles longer than the [[Seikan Tunnel]]) and the depth would only need to be around 100m (the [[Ryfylke Tunnel]] in Norway reaches 292m below sea level). Rail upgrades or a new line would be needed along the north Welsh coast, as the current [[North Wales Coast Line]] is not electrified or suitable for high-speed rail. Depending on the route additional crossings may need to be considered over the [[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]]. A platform or [[cofferdam]] may also be required in the middle of the tunnel to aid with ventilation and access.<ref>{{Cite web |last=David |first=Corrie |last2=Williams |first2=Kelly |date=2021-05-24 |title=50-mile tunnel from Holyhead to Dublin backed by UK Government |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/50-mile-tunnel-holyhead-dublin-20669170 |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=North Wales Live |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Catherine |date=2021-05-26 |title=Wales to Ireland tunnel 'more attractive' than Scotland to Northern Ireland link |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/wales-to-ireland-tunnel-more-attractive-than-scotland-to-northern-ireland-link-26-05-2021/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=New Civil Engineer |language=en}}</ref>
Given that this rail link would connect the Republic of Ireland to mainland Europe via the UK, eliminating some of the need for rail and ferry crossings, it has received support from some commentators in Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-19 |title=Whatever happened to... a gigantic underwater tunnel linking Ireland and the UK? |url=https://fora.ie/ireland-uk-tunnel-explained-3699280-Nov2017/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Fora.ie}}</ref>
== Proposed fixed sea links between Great Britain and France ==
===Second Channel Tunnel or bridge===
* The [[Channel Tunnel]] operates between Great Britain and France. It is a {{convert|50.45|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}} rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, beneath the [[English Channel]] at the [[Strait of Dover]]. At its lowest point, it is 75&nbsp;m (250&nbsp;ft) deep. At {{convert|37.9|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}}, the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world, although the [[Seikan Tunnel]] in Japan is both longer overall at {{convert|53.85|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}} and deeper at {{convert|240|m|ft}} below sea level. The speed limit for trains in the tunnel is {{convert|160|km/h|mph|order=flip|abbr=on|round=10}}.<ref>[http://www.eurotunnelgroup.com/uk/the-channel-tunnel/infrastructure/ "The Channel Tunnel infrastructure"]. Getlinkgroup.com. Accessed 24 June 2018.</ref> A second English Channel tunnel with a road was proposed in 2000 by [[Eurotunnel]], as required by its contract for the original tunnel.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/jan/06/transport.uk|title=Tunnel chiefs unveil road link to France|first=Stuart|last=Millar |date=6 January 2000 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>  The project would have involved the construction of the longest road tunnel in the world, containing two {{convert|46|km|mi|abbr=out|order=flip}} long carriageways, one on top of the other, which would have allowed motorists to complete the journey in about 30 minutes.
===Channel bridge===
* An English Channel road bridge was proposed in 2018 by [[Boris Johnson]], who was then foreign secretary. It received limited support.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/19/no-10-unenthusiasticboris-johnson-channel-bridge-plan |title=No 10 unenthusiastic about Boris Johnson's Channel bridge plan |date=19 January 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |first1=Rowena |last1=Mason |first2=Jamie |last2=Grierson}}</ref>
== Proposed fixed sea links between the Channel Islands and France ==
=== Channel Islands Tunnel ===
* The Channel Islands Tunnel was a proposed tunnel between [[Jersey]] and [[Lower Normandy]]. In July 2009, it was revealed by then States Assistant Minister for Planning and Environment, Deputy Rob Duhamel, that the [[States of Jersey]] were considering the feasibility of building a {{convert|14|mi|km|abbr=out|adj=on}} long tunnel to connect the island with Lower Normandy in France; the tunnel would be a concrete tube sunk in the seabed and then covered over. Talks between Jersey politicians and their French counterparts would be held in September 2009 to ascertain whether it would be of mutual benefit. The proposition included a road and rail link. The plans were not developed, and the then-Assistant Minister for Planning and Environment Deputy [[Rob Duhamel]] who had suggested the idea lost his seat in the [[2014 Jersey general election|2014 elections]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/8149314.stm|title=Jersey-France tunnel plan talks|date=14 July 2009|access-date=24 June 2018|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2008/10/18/bridge-to-france-study-next-year/|title=Bridge to France: Study next year?|website=jerseyeveningpost.com|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ouest-france.fr/un-projet-de-tunnel-pour-relier-jersey-la-manche-524626|title=Un projet de tunnel pour relier Jersey à la Manche|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>
* The current Connect 3 Million (C3M) tunnel is a proposed tunnel between [[Guernsey]], [[Jersey]] and [[Lower Normandy]] with the intention of developing a commuting population between [[Coutances]] in [[Lower Normandy]] and the [[Channel Islands]]. [[File:C3M Ramboll Study for proposed tunnel routes between Guernsey Jersey and Lower Normandy.jpg|thumb|13 tunnel concepts between the four Main Channel Islands and/or [[Manche]] in France which includes the [[Cherbourg Peninsula]]]] The C3M tunnel was proposed by the outgoing president of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, Martyn Dorey in 2018 Support was obtained from the Chief Ministers of both islands in July 2019  <ref>{{cite web|url=https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2019/07/17/jersey-guernsey-france-tunnel-proposed/|title=jersey-guernsey-france tunnel proposed}}</ref> to explore a pre feasibility study with [[Ramboll]].  The initial study concluded that the project looked like it may be feasible, both technically and financially, and several route options were explored by Stephen Whitham from [[Ramboll]], which included a shared airport between the islands on reclaimed land.  The proposed Phase I route was a single bore rail tunnel direct from [[St Peter Port]] underground to [[Jerbourg Point]] then heading undersea to below  [[Grosnez Castle]], rising to a station at [[Jersey Airport]] and then back underground to [[St Helier]].  The study explored the achievability of a journey time of a little over 15 minutes using [[Bombardier Talent 3]] rolling stock.  In January 2020, the Guernsey Jersey link was reported by the local media to cost 2.6bln.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://guernseypress.com/news/2020/01/24/tunnel-to-jersey-to-cost-26bn-and-take-decade|title=tunnel-to-jersey-to-cost-26bn-and-take-decade}}</ref>  Transit speed and convenience was cited as a major factor to stimulate greater social cohesion between the islands and the financial viability of the project.   Low interest rates and the completion of proportionately similar (by GDP/per capita) projects in the Faroe Islands between Streymoy and Eysturoy in December 2020 have led to renewed calls to develop the idea to a full feasibility study in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2021-01-12/renewed-calls-for-channel-island-tunnel-after-faroe-islands-success |title=renewed calls for channel island tunnel after faroe islands success}}</ref>
==Other proposed fixed sea links within or to the British Isles and associated areas==
=== Isle of Man ===
* In 2018 [[Alan Dunlop]], of the University of Liverpool, suggested a {{circa|{{convert|18|mi|adj=on}}}} bridge be built from Scotland to the Isle of Man.  This was in addition to his suggestion for a [[Irish Sea Bridge|bridge connecting Northern Ireland to Scotland]]. He suggested that it would help open up the Isle of Man economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/architect-proposes-iom-scotland-road-link/|title=Architect proposes IoM-Scotland road-link|date=26 January 2018|publisher=[[Manx Radio]]}}</ref>
* In 2008 the ''Liverpool Echo'' ran an article suggesting the construction of a {{convert|75|mi|adj=on}} bridge to the [[Isle of Man]] from [[Liverpool]].  Despite the proposal being nothing more than an [[April Fools]] joke, the bridge was included in an engineering text book called the "Handbook of International Bridge Engineering" in its 2017 edition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/fictional-bridge-between-liverpool-isle-12894011|title=Fictional Liverpool-Isle of Man bridge included in engineering textbook|first=Lorna|last=Hughes|date=14 April 2017|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>
===Shetland and Orkney===
* A possible [[Orkney tunnel]] between [[Orkney]] and the Scottish mainland (about {{convert|9|to|10|mi|km|abbr=out}}) was publicly discussed especially around 2005,<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/news/163-100m-tunnel-to-orkney-feasible-1-739095 £100m tunnel to Orkney 'feasible'] (10 March 2005)</ref> but also at other times.
* In 2014 a consultation was undertaken by Orkney Islands Council, with a view to considering a series of fixed links involving seven of the Orkney islands. This would include a bridge between the isles of [[Eday]], [[Westray]] and [[Papa Westray]], to alleviate the need for air travel—[[Westray to Papa Westray flight|currently the shortest scheduled flight in the world]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/orkney-bridge-plan-may-end-world-s-shortest-flight-1-3443317|title=Orkney bridge plan may end world's shortest flight|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref> and also from Orkney to [[Shapinsay]], [[Egilsay]], [[Rousay]] and [[Wyre, Orkney|Wyre]], but not a tunnel to Scotland this time.
* In 2019 a Shetland Island councilor warned that the island of [[Whalsay]] would suffer a "slow and painful death" if talks were not held on building a tunnel or fixed link to replace the ferry service.<ref name="pressandjournal.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1727760/mp-calls-for-subsea-tunnels-to-connect-the-western-isles/|title=MP calls for subsea tunnels to connect the Western Isles|first=Daniel|last=O'Donoghue|newspaper=[[The Press and Journal (Scotland)|The Press and Journal]]|date=19 April 2019}}</ref>
* Bridges connecting Orkney to Shetland via the [[Fair Isle]] have been mooted at numerous times throughout history with varying degrees of seriousness.
=== Hebrides ===
* In 2018 the Western Isles Council began plans to build a series of bridges and tunnels between the [[Outer Hebrides]]. The plans proposed bridges between the [[Sound of Harris]] and the Sound of Barra as a starting point. Ian Fordham, chairman of Outer Hebrides Tourism, suggested that the scheme would alleviate the pressure on the ferries that operate across the Outer Hebrides. Plans for a {{convert|15|mile|km|adj=on}} tunnel between North Uist and Skye, thereby connecting the Outer Hebrides to the Mainland, had also been mooted.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/outer-hebrides-could-be-linked-together-bridge-plan-311227|title=Outer Hebrides could be linked together by bridge plan|date=27 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref> In June 2019 a delegation headed up by the Western Isles MP went to the [[Faroe Islands]] to assess its tunnel and bridge-link system to see how the infrastructure could be translated to the Hebrides.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/islands/western-isles/1765802/tunnel-and-bridge-plan-to-link-western-isles-moves-forward/|title=Tunnel and bridge plan to link Western Isles moves forward|newspaper=[[The Press and Journal (Scotland)|The Press and Journal]]|first=Sarah|last=Ferguson|date=6 June 2019}}</ref> In 2019 [[Angus MacNeil]] MP, chair of the Commons International Trade Committee, voiced his support for the project, and also for a proposed bridge between the Sound of Kerrera off Oban and between Mull and the mainland to ensure the Inner Hebrides were also connected.<ref name="pressandjournal.co.uk"/>
=== Isle of Wight ===
* A bridge from mainland England to the [[Isle of Wight]] has been proposed a number of times, often due to the high cost of ferries to and from the island. The Isle of Wight Party—a political party active only in the Isle of Wight—was set up with the intention of campaigning for a fixed crossing. Critics have suggested that such a link may damage the ecology of the Isle of Wight, particularly the [[red squirrel]] population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23587557|title=Could these five projects improve life in the UK?|first=Tom de|last=Castella|date=13 August 2013|access-date=24 June 2018|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Campaign group Pro-Link has put forward a number of plans to the Isle of Wight Infrastructure Task Force of the Isle of Wight council, including a £1.2 billion {{Convert|4|mile|abbr=out|adj=on}} dual-carriageway tunnel between [[Whippingham]] on the isle and [[Gosport]]. The campaign group has proposed the project be initially run on a toll basis, but that it would have paid for itself after eighteen years. In 2017 Abel Connections Ltd released their plans for the project, "to create a new north-south axis through the centre of the Solent region by constructing a tunnel from the M27 east of junction 9 to the Whippingham roundabout on the Isle of Wight, with an additional access intersection 'cut and cover' portal near the mainland coast between Browndown and Meon."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwradio.co.uk/2017/05/19/latest-isle-wight-fixed-link-plan-revealed/|title=Latest Isle Of Wight 'Fixed-Link' Plan Is Revealed - Isle Of Wight Radio|first=Jamie|last=White|date=19 May 2017|access-date=24 June 2018}}</ref>
=== Isles of Scilly ===
* Although bridges connecting some of the individual islands of the [[Isles of Scilly]] have been suggested at various points through history, the [[Cornwall Live]] newspaper ran a 2018 [[April Fools Day]] joke page suggesting that there was a secret plan to connect the Isles of Scilly to the mainland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/secret-boris-bridge-plan-extend-1405286|title=Secret Boris bridge plan to extend the A30 from Land's End to Scilly revealed|first=Jacqui|last=Merrington|date=1 April 2018|newspaper=Cornwall Live}}</ref>
== See also ==
{{portal|Transport}}
* [[Cross-sea traffic ways]]
'''Existing British Isles Fixed Sea Links'''
* [[Channel Tunnel]]
* [[Britannia Bridge]]
* [[Kingsferry Bridge]]
* [[Walney Bridge|Jubilee Bridge]]
* [[Skye Bridge]]
* [[Michaelson Road Bridge]]
* [[Langstone Bridge]]
* [[Menai Suspension Bridge]]
* [[Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge]]
* [[Lindisfarne#Causeway safety|Lindisfarne Causeway]]
* [[Mersea_Island#Transport|The Strood Causeway]]
* [[Isle_of_Portland#Transport|Ferry Bridge]]
'''Proposed Infrastructure and [[Megaproject]]s within the British Isles and associated areas'''
* [[Severn Barrage]]
* [[Mersey Barrage]]
* [[Morecambe Bay#Bridge and tidal barrage proposal|Morecambe Bay § Bridge and tidal barrage proposal]]
* [[River Ribble#Estuary crossing proposals|River Ribble § Estuary crossing proposals]]
* [[Strait of Gibraltar crossing]]
* [[Northern Powerhouse Rail]]
== References ==
{{reflist|35em}}
{{coord missing|Ireland}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Sea Tunnel}}
[[Category:Proposed transport infrastructure in Scotland]]
[[Category:Proposed bridges in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Tunnels in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Proposed undersea tunnels in Europe]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border]]
[[Category:Borders of Scotland]]