UK Transport Secretary considering a tunnel between Wales and Ireland
The UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is considering a 50-mile tunnel between Wales and Ireland, he has revealed in an interview.
The idea is being mooted as an alternative to a plan by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to build a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Grant Shapps told the Financial Times that he was considering a tunnel linking Wales with Ireland. “Why not?” he asked, saying they needed to better connect Britain with Northern Ireland.
However, he said that the original idea of a tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland was still under consideration: “I don’t know whether it should be there or to Wales.”
It comes after Boris Johnson suggested the idea of a roundabout under the Isle of Man connecting the different nations of the UK. However his plan had no Welsh entrance.
Other tunnels emanating from the giant roundabout would run towards Northern Ireland and Stranraer in Scotland.
A Whitehall official told the Times that “People think this is all a joke but it’s much more likely to get the go-ahead than people think”.
According to the newspaper, however, the tunnel scheme is regarded as “batshit” by several of Johnson’s senior aides.
“The idea was that these three tunnels would meet in a giant roundabout underneath the Isle of Man and the tunnel to Ireland would start there,” a source told the Times. “Everyone knows Boris wants to do this so people were asked to look at how.”
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North South rail link first please.
Although a tunnel may help a pan celtic alliance.
Tank movements?
Better ask the Russian Navy what they think…my dad spent two years after the war filling the Beaufort Dyke with high explosives, good to know they are making a diversion in light of that fact. Rev Awdry wants a word with fat controller Schnapps…you could’n’t make it up
People think it’s a joke? I wonder why?
I’d prefer a wall between Westminster and Wales.
A border forest, greater density of which in the part coloured blue on polimap.
The prime buffoon and his sidekick Schapps do realise that the Irish railways are not to the same track gauge as the mainland??? No???? Didnot think so
Well observed, hence why Northern Ireland Rail was not privatised and is excluded from GBR.
Won’t transfer further rail infrastructure or provide adequate funding for transport within Wales but will *check notes* build a tunnel to Ireland.
My earlier comment on this was dumped by the censor ! I only pointed out the very obvious defects of Mr Shapps, and expanded to describe this idea as just another in the UK government’s portfolio of daft vanity projects that would most likely never happen but would consume millions in consultancy fees, public enquiries etc etc to keep the Tories’ friends in the professions in fees and salaries for years. Misdirection of public funds.