Exclusive:Scotland 'lacks ambition' over building tunnels between islands
Expert Andy Sloan said there is ‘absolutely no fundamental reason’ why tunnels cannot be built
Only a lack of ambition is preventing Scotland from building tunnels between its islands, an expert in the field has claimed.
Andy Sloan, a vice president of a major engineering consultancy, said there is “absolutely no fundamental reason why Scotland cannot become a tunnelling nation like our northern European neighbours all around us”.
Writing in today’s Scotland on Sunday, he stressed there are no “geological or engineering complications” preventing such projects from going ahead, and the financial justification is “fairly clear”.
Mr Sloan said: “For reasons which are not entirely clear, Scotland in the 21st century has put tunnels in the ‘too difficult’ box.
“Other countries around us have taken a far more ambitious approach. As a Scotsman and as executive vice president of COWI’s UK and international division, I’ve spent much of my career in a rather odd position of helping to create tunnels all around Scotland, but never in Scotland.”
COWI is currently involved in the 25km Rogfast tunnel in Norway, which will be the longest and deepest subsea road tunnel ever built, as well as the 18km Fehmarnbelt tunnel connecting Denmark and Germany.
Mr Sloan said there were “some signs” Scotland wanted to “catch up” given government proposals, published in 2022, for tunnels under the Sound of Harris and the Sound of Barra. These would complement the bridges and tunnels already in place and link the Western Isles all the way from Barra in the south to Lewis in the north.
Last month, it was reported in The Scotsman that the government is also considering linking Mull to mainland Scotland.
Meanwhile, Shetland Islands Council is carrying out tunnel modelling work.
“To assist with Shetland’s deliberations, we are currently preparing what will be the most detailed study of tunnelling ever conducted in Scotland,” Mr Sloan said.
He pointed to the example of the Faroe Islands, where the world's first undersea roundabout opened in 2020.
He added: “There is absolutely no fundamental reason why Scotland cannot become a tunnelling nation like our northern European neighbours all around us.
“There are no geological or engineering complications; indeed tunnelling short distances with Scotland’s geology is straight-forward from a design and build perspective.
“Furthermore, there are no obvious reasons why a tunnel in Scotland would be any less financially attractive than one in the Faroes or in Scandinavia.
“Indeed, our experience of tunnels tells us that the financial justification is fairly clear; when compared to repeated ferry replacements, with their much lower lifespan, tunnels deliver a significant financial saving, in addition to the environmental benefits based on a whole-life carbon assessment, and the economic impact of a reliable, fast transit between islands.
“Scotland’s economy is increasingly moving out to remote and rural areas. Our tourism industry, our food and drink industry, our renewables industry - these are industries which in large part take place in places which are hard to reach.
“If we wish to be a global player in these industries, then we need to ensure that we have the transport infrastructure to cope with growth. Today, we don’t.
“But we are not held back by any engineering difficulty. We are not held back by financing constraints. We are held back only by our own ambition.”
Emma Macdonald, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Shetland at the Holyrood election, said tunnels would be a “lifeline”.
“Bridges to Burra and Trondra demonstrate the fantastic potential of these links to reverse depopulation and get our island communities moving again,” she said.
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