A FEASIBILITY study is to be recommended into an undersea tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Union Connectivity Review, conducted by Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy, will be published this week and is reported to recommend a study into the viability of a tunnel connecting Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The tunnel has been described as a “vanity project” by critics of Boris Johnson, who initially suggested a bridge linking the two countries.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson now considering tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland
However the review is said to recommend that civil servants formally appraise the plans for a “fixed link” between the islands, likely between Stranraer and Larne, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
Sir Peter is understood to have rejected a bridge between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the grounds that it may have to be closed for a third of the year due to bad weather.
Last week Scottish Government transport secretary Michael Matheson blasted the plans, saying they could cost more than £33bn and could take funding away from other more important areas such as schools.
The Scottish Government has refused to engage with Sir Hendy’s review, arguing that transport is a devolved matter.
Mr Matheson said the project, if it did happen, would not be done in Boris Johnson’s lifetime in an interview with the Daily Record, and added: “Even if something is feasible, it doesn't mean you should do it.
"I suspect the complexities and the challenges associated with some form of fixed link are such that it probably won't happen in my lifetime. And I suspect it won't happen in Boris Johnson's lifetime.
"This is nothing more than a vanity project from Boris Johnson. It's a way for him to try and hide from the fact he's got various problems in Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit, which is causing significant disruption on cross-border trade between mainland UK and Northern Ireland.
"The idea of a fixed link does not resolve those issues. They'll still be there as a result of the Brexit deal agreed with the EU."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel