Sunk, ‘the world’s stupidest tunnel’ from Scotland to NI
BORIS Johnson’s plan to build a bridge or tunnel linking Scotland and Northern Ireland has been scrapped after experts warned it would cost £100billion.
Civil engineers commissioned by the UK Government ruled out a road tunnel because of safety fears about the length of the underground journey.
They said it would instead have to be a rail tunnel which would need to stretch from east of Stranraer, Wigtownshire, to Belfast and avoid dumped wartime munitions at Beaufort’s Dyke, leading to ‘eye-wateringly expensive’ costs.
The idea has now been dropped. The UK Government is expected to instead focus on how road links between Manchester and the existing ferry link to Northern Ireland at Cairnryan can be improved.
A Government source said: ‘The engineer’s report said it was a good idea and doable but eye-wateringly expensive, in the order of £100billion, which was many times more than initial projections. It’s not going to happen.’
The Prime Minister has pledged to invest in transport projects which boost cross-UK connections and appointed Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, to carry out a review, which included an assessment of the tunnel idea by leading civil engineers.
Sir Peter’s report, expected towards the end of next month, is likely to recommend improvements to the A75 linking Stranraer and Cairnryan to the A74/M74 at Gretna. But transport is devolved to Holyrood and the Scottish Government has so far refused to engage in the review.
SNP ministers have also claimed any attempt by the UK Government to invest in the road would be overriding devolution.
A UK Government spokesman said that after receiving Sir Peter’s recommendations ‘we will consider and confirm funding plans for delivering improved connectivity between all parts of the UK’.
Nicola Sturgeon has dismissed the tunnel idea, which the PM’s ex-aide Dominic Cummings called ‘the world’s most stupid tunnel’.