Plans to link the various islands surrounding Scotland have been seriously considered, according to Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart MP.
Plans to link the various islands surrounding Scotland have been seriously considered, according to Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart MP.
Speaking during a meeting with leading political figures and industry representatives for both Denmark and the Faroe Islands in Copenhagen, he noted that the thought of an island tunnel network was “seriously thought about” and could be inspired by similar systems in the Faroe Islands.
The system in the Faroes, which includes the world’s first undersea roundabout connecting the four (soon to be five) underwater roadways that connect the various islands in the archipelago, is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the region, and Mr Stewart MP explored how it was carried out and its impact on the region.
The project, once corrosion solutions, materials and the complexities of building underwater were taken into account, cost up to £20m per kilometre.
This price, according to Mr Stewart MP, was offset by the significant benefits in terms of both environmental impact and benefit to residents.
Previously in the Faroes, as well as at present in the Orkneys and Shetland Islands in Scotland, people who wanted to travel between the different small islands typically had to take either complex, difficult winding routes or travel by ferry, the latter of which is a major contributor to climate change.
With many of the inter-island ferry craft requiring replacement in the near future, the possibility of replicating this system for the various networks of Scottish islands is one to consider.
Mr Stewart MP also notes that due to the long timescales of underwater tunnel projects, discussions should begin sooner rather than later, but the success of the Faroe Islands tunnels also highlights the idea’s viability.
This can be placed in contrast to the proposed “Celtic Crossing” between England and Northern Ireland, a project which was proposed for centuries before a feasibility study made it “impossible to justify”.