Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TUNNEL VISION
Mallon says plan to link Larne and Scotland ‘utter nonsense’
BORIS Johnson’s plan for a tunnel between Larne and Scotland has hit the buffers after a Stormont minister described it as “utter nonsense”.
With much of our infrastructure already creaking and little money to fix basic problems, Nichola Mallon said: “We won’t be squandering public money on Tory manifesto obsessions.” A report by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy on improving connections between the four UK nations is set to be released soon.
NICHOLA Mallon has slammed claims a plan to build a tunnel linking Scotland with Northern Ireland could become reality.
The Infrastructure Minister said Stormont would be happy to accept the vast amount of cash required for the project but added: “We won’t be squandering public money on Tory manifesto obsessions.”
Boris Johnson has repeatedly talked up the idea of linking Portpatrick in Scotland with Larne in Co Antrim, a distance of 23 miles. It has been dubbed the “Boris Burrow”.
The Government last year commissioned the chairman of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy, to come up with ideas to improve connections between the four home nations.
And due to the physical separation of Northern Ireland to the mainland, the most ambitious proposal being considered is a “fixed link” to Scotland.
Sir Peter has already met the Prime Minster to discuss his findings and his report is expected to be released soon.
It is believed to have been modelled on the Channel tunnel, which connects the UK and France and accommodates trains, cars and heavy goods vehicles.
Holyrood transport secretary Michael Matheson has dismissed the idea as a “vanity project” and critics claim the cost of bridging the Irish Sea – a busy shipping lane known for rough seas – would be astronomical.
The 33-mile Seikan
Tunnel opened in Japan 32 years ago and runs for 14 miles under the seabed, at a depth of 790ft.
The total cost was around £5billion – the equivalent to £8billion today.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, whose Westminster constituency includes Portpatrick, is a confirmed supporter of building a tunnel to Northern Ireland.
Speaking to the Telegraph yesterday, he said: “You say bridge. I say tunnel.
“I think a bridge would be closed for probably 100 days a year with the weather in the Irish Sea.”
And referring to Mr Hendy’s report, Mr Jack added: “My strong inclination would be that he thinks it should be a tunnel. He and I have had conversations about weather patterns in the Irish Sea and Beaufort’s Dyke, and there’s a munitions deposit there. Tunnels deal with all those problems.” Reports this weekend suggest the Boris Tunnel proposal remains on the table and could be formally endorsed by Sir Peter as soon as next month.
But a spokesman for Mrs Mallon said: “Will Boris ever learn? He’s proved time and time again he doesn’t understand Northern Ireland, never mind care about it. “B e it the nonsense of Boris’ Bridge or Boris’ Burrow, the Prime Minister would be better focusing his efforts less on Tory glamour projects and more on fixing the multiple problems in front of him.
“If the British Government wants to send money Northern Ireland’s way, that’s welcome but it must be spent by local ministers who are locally electable and locally accountable.” Democratic Unionist MP Sammy Wilson added: “This kind of project would at least give people in Northern Ireland the belief the Government was prepared to put in infrastructure and spend money to make sure we are physically connected.”