PM to look into constructing a tunnel under the Irish Sea

BORIS JOHNSON has approved a review that will explore the possibility of a tunnel linking Scotland with Northern Ireland.

Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, has asked experts to look at constructing a railway tunnel from Stranraer to Larne.

Doug Oakervee, author of a Government-commissioned report that gave HS2 the green light earlier this year, will lead the analysis.

Sir Peter said: “If you look at the distance between Northern Ireland and Scotland it is actually no further than the Channel Tunnel.”

“I said to Boris, I am not going to get any further than finding out whether it is feasible, how long it will take and how much it might cost.”

In June, the Prime Minister asked Sir Peter to conduct a “union connectivity review” to improve transport links in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Last September, Mr Johnson asked his civil servants to consider the building of a 21-mile bridge between Northern Ireland and the British mainland at an estimated cost of £20 billion.

Scottish ministers said in March that Downing Street had now asked them to look at a tunnel amid fears that high winds would close a bridge crossing for up to 100 days every year.

A key plank of the Conservatives’ general election pledge to level up the economy was to boost regional connectivity. Fears have grown, however, that the pandemic has put this on hold, not least when ministers refused to bail out the regional airline Flybe in March.

Sir Peter, who led Transport for London under Mr Johnson when he was mayor, said: “The Government’s policy is to bring the UK closer together.

“The quest for economic growth, particularly in the light of Brexit, is a common desire for Westminster and for the developed administration governments.”

“If you look at air and ferry connections, one of the current bugbears for Northern Ireland is that since Flybe went bust there is much less opportunity to fly into Northern Ireland. They clearly find that difficult. Maybe I can look at that and do something about it.”