Irish Sea Tunnel
Encyclopedia
An Irish Sea Tunnel is a proposed tunnel that would link the island of Ireland
to Great Britain
beneath the Irish Sea
. It has been suggested in the past largely for political reasons. It would be a railway tunnel, similar to the Channel Tunnel
beneath the English Channel
. The tunnel is technically feasible, although it is unlikely to be economically viable in the near future.
routes. These are:
A fifth route, via the Isle of Man, would require two tunnels, but has never been seriously considered due to length and difficult geology. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/your-shout/The-Great-Manx-Tunnel.3069418.jp
to County Antrim
but is very unlikely to be adopted. It would mean constructing a railway or improved roads (or both) following a roundabout route through some mountainous terrain, mainly in Scotland
, but to some extent also in Northern Ireland
, and also needing further undersea tunnels in Scotland. If it ever were adopted, passengers would to a high degree still use ferries and aircraft, since it would be a big detour for trains from England. Trains would have to go via Glasgow and around 250 km further to reach Belfast. Even if the High Speed 2
railway is fully built, the travel time London-Belfast would not be below 4 hours. Car travellers from England would have much shorter driving distance when using the traditional ferry routes.
to a point north or south of Belfast Lough
.
This would result in a shorter tunnel than the southern routes (34 km (21 mi)), and one within the United Kingdom
, though the Irish government
and the European Union
might contribute funds, nevertheless. However, because of the Beaufort's Dyke
sea trench, this route would be deeper than the southern routes.
Travel to Belfast
would benefit from this route. The London to Belfast distance would be about 750 km, taking about 3½ hours on a high-speed train. This route would improve travel from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, and most English cities, to Belfast and Dublin.
The Dublin-Belfast
-Glasgow
-Edinburgh
route would be possible. However the route between the two capitals London-Dublin would be indirect. If a high speed Dublin-Belfast railway (160 km) is also built, this route would take four to five hours, making it hard to compete with air travel.
Currently, Stranraer is only served by the Stranraer branch of the Glasgow South Western Line
, which routes northeast towards Glasgow
, and which is single track south of Ayr
. With no changes to the network, trains bound for England would be routed via Kilmarnock
. It may be possible to re-open the former Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway to Dumfries
via Newton Stewart
and New Galloway
. However, it is unclear whether this could be done easily, or if this line would be suitable for high speed trains. At Dumfries a connection could be made to the Glasgow South Western Main Line
which in turn connects at Carlisle
to the West Coast Main Line
(for Manchester
, Birmingham
, London
), the Settle-Carlisle Line (for Leeds
) and the Tyne Valley Line (for Newcastle
).
Carlisle could also be connected to a future British High Speed Rail Network, though this connection might be made further south nearer to Manchester. The A77 road
heads towards Glasgow, but is part single
, part dual
, carriageway
. The A75 road
leads towards Carlisle and M6 Motorway
, but is mostly single carriageway
. It may be better, therefore, to place the terminals somewhere along the M6
or M74
motorways — otherwise it may be necessary to upgrade these roads.
In Northern Ireland, there are two possible sites for the portal on either side of Belfast Lough
:
The County Antrim option would connect to the Belfast-Larne railway line and the Dublin-Belfast railway line
via Belfast Central station. The County Down option would connect to the Belfast-Bangor railway line, which is connected to the Belfast Central station. Both the Belfast-Larne railway line and the Belfast-Bangor railway line are primarily commuter lines, however, and may not be suitable for conversion. A Belfast-Dublin high-speed train would be useful in quickening journey times.
(Holyhead
) to Dublin (Dún Laoghaire
). This tunnel would be about 100 km (62.1 mi) long. The main London-Dublin route is more direct and high-speed trains would be competitive with airlines. Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham are on this route. The distance from London to Dublin would be 550 km, taking 2½ hours on high-speed trains. While this competes well with air travel, the trains would need to compete with budget airline prices.
The British portal of this route would connect to the North Wales Coast Line
around Anglesey
. The North Wales Coast Line connects North Wales to Crewe (and the West Coast Main Line
) via Chester. It runs along the North Wales Coast for most of its length, parallel to the A55 road
. The transport corridor is constrained by mountain
s to the south and by several seaside resort towns.
Increased traffic would mean that capacity along the transport corridor would need to be increased. There are two options for the location of the terminals:
There are no major population centres along this route (for this reason there have been no container trains from Holyhead Port for some years), therefore, most traffic would be between Ireland and England. An English train terminal would be better for the environment than roads, however, a Welsh terminal would bring development opportunities to North Wales. Either option would probably require a dedicated high-speed railway line.
Most of the route between Crewe and Llandudno Junction is flat along the coast and would be easy to rebuild. However, further west, there would be some problems. At Conwy
, the line skirts Conwy Castle
before crossing the River Conwy
on the Conwy Bridge
, and would probably have to be tunneled under (also making grade separation at Llandudno Junction
easier).
From Bangor, the line rises from just above sea level and runs through tunnels before turning sharply to cross the Menai Strait
via the single-tracked
Britannia Bridge
, 100 feet above the strait. Even if some trains were diverted by reopening the line to Caernarfon
, a new crossing of the Menai Strait would probably be required, possibly in a tunnel, too.
Presently, Holyhead-Liverpool trains follow a circuitous route from Chester
to reach Liverpool
. The Wirral Line
offers a more direct route via the Wirral peninsula
but is a commuter line and would be unsuited to very high speed trains. The Borderlands Line
crosses the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton station
, but this terminates on the Wirral and does not reach Liverpool; current plans see it being integrated into the Wirral Line. Journeys would be shorter using a new rail line through a tunnel under the Dee Estuary
, across the Wirral (probably partially in a tunnel) and in a tunnel under the River Mersey to connect to Liverpool Lime Street
. This could be a possible second phase project after the main works.
, linking a freight line to Europe.
This report also includes ideas for a Belfast
-Dublin-Cork
high-speed train, and for a new freight line from Rosslare to Shannon.
Although London-Dublin and London-Belfast routes would be competitive with air travel, subject to ticket prices, routes from central and northern England and Scotland to Ireland would probably not be competitive.
On the British side, a high-speed line duplicating the Great Western Main Line
has been proposed. However, this would be likely to be a lower priority than one running between London, Birmingham and the North West, duplicating the West Coast Main Line
. Congestion through the Severn Tunnel
is already so great that much freight from the Welsh ports travels a circuitous route via Gloucester; the increased traffic generated by an Irish Sea Tunnel would demand a new crossing of the Severn Estuary
.
Recent proposals for a barrage
across the mouth of the River Severn have included the option of running a new road and rail crossing between Cardiff and Bristol, which would help this issue.
The M4 motorway
ends near Llanelli
. Any motorway extension would pass through rural areas and close to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
, which would generate opposition, however, terminals could be located further inland.
As the IEI's report notes "[This report's object] was to cast a vision, essentially an optimistic vision, of transport in Ireland in the middle of this twenty-first century". It also includes a second English Channel Tunnel.
to see if a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland was viable. The link would have been of immense commercial benefit, was significant strategically and would have meant faster transatlantic travel from Britain, via Galway and other Irish ports. Sixty years later Harford Hyde
, Unionist MP for North Belfast, called for a tunnel to be built.
In 1994 the Channel Tunnel
opened between Great Britain
and France
. Technical challenges of constructing a tunnel were overcome. However, the Channel Tunnel was delivered overbudget and predicted traffic levels have never materialised.
A tunnel project has been discussed several times in Dáil Éireann
(the Irish Parliament). and in the British parliament.
is to Britain, with 8,300,000 passengers per annum. The Dublin to London air route is one of the busiest international routes
with 1.974 million passengers in 2007, and there were about 12.3 million air passengers between the republic and the United Kingdom (2007).
The Channel Tunnel
has failed so far to generate the original passenger numbers expected (partially because of low cost airlines). It now has nine million passengers per year, more than air travel, if only counting those who have destinations near London, Paris or Brussels.
The Channel Tunnel also illustrates the funding problem that a tunnel cannot be built and funded in stages, so cost over-runs (such as experienced on the Channel Tunnel) cannot be spread over time. Construction would also take a long time to complete, so the project would be an expensive, long-term, high risk investment.
Opposition to the tunnel might be mounted by powerful corporate interests
, particularly ferry companies, shipping line
s and airlines. NIMBY
local interest groups and environmental groups might oppose individual infrastructure changes.
Various Irish government studies have concluded that an Irish Sea tunnel is, as yet, economically unfeasible. The benefit compared to air and ferry travel does not justify the cost.
For onward freight services, the gauge difference might be overcome either by transshipment
, building new standard gauge lines in Ireland, regauging the existing network to standard gauge, the use of variable gauge axles
, or by the use of dual gauge
.
Trains passing through the long tunnel must use electric traction
, so the railways at either end must also be electrically operated. However, as of 2010, most railway lines in Ireland are not electrified; the few that are
use 1.5 kilovolt direct current, in contrast to the 25 kilovolt alternating current used in Britain. In addition, any of the crossing options would require a sizeable electrification project on the British side, as those routes using existing standard gauge track (the Glasgow South Western Line
, the North Wales Coast Line
, and the South Wales Main Line
west of Swansea
) are not currently, or planned to be, electrified.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
beneath the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. It has been suggested in the past largely for political reasons. It would be a railway tunnel, similar to the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
beneath the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The tunnel is technically feasible, although it is unlikely to be economically viable in the near future.
Possible routes
Four possible routes have at different times been identified, the first two taken together as North ChannelNorth Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
The North Channel is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland...
routes. These are:
- Kintyre Route (CampbeltownCampbeltownCampbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
-North East County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
) - Galloway Route (StranraerStranraerStranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
-BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
) - Irish Mail Route (HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
-Dublin) - Tuskar Route (FishguardFishguardFishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
-RosslareRosslare EuroportRosslare Europort is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeastern-most point of Ireland's coastline, handling passenger and freight ferries to and from Wales and France....
)
A fifth route, via the Isle of Man, would require two tunnels, but has never been seriously considered due to length and difficult geology. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/your-shout/The-Great-Manx-Tunnel.3069418.jp
North Channel (Kintyre) route
This is the shortest route at around 19 km (11.8 mi), from the Mull of KintyreMull of Kintyre
The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast is visible and an historic lighthouse, the second commissioned in Scotland, guides shipping in the intervening North Channel...
to County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
but is very unlikely to be adopted. It would mean constructing a railway or improved roads (or both) following a roundabout route through some mountainous terrain, mainly in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, but to some extent also in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and also needing further undersea tunnels in Scotland. If it ever were adopted, passengers would to a high degree still use ferries and aircraft, since it would be a big detour for trains from England. Trains would have to go via Glasgow and around 250 km further to reach Belfast. Even if the High Speed 2
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 is a proposed high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, the North of England, and potentially at a later stage the central belt of Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company established by the British government...
railway is fully built, the travel time London-Belfast would not be below 4 hours. Car travellers from England would have much shorter driving distance when using the traditional ferry routes.
North Channel (Galloway) route
This would mean tunnelling from near PortpatrickPortpatrick
Portpatrick is a village hanging on to the extreme south-westerly tip of mainland Scotland, cut into a cleft in steep cliffs.Dating back historically some 500 years, and built adjacent to the ruins of nearby Dunskey Castle, its position on the Rhins of Galloway affords visitors views of the...
to a point north or south of Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...
.
This would result in a shorter tunnel than the southern routes (34 km (21 mi)), and one within the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, though the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
might contribute funds, nevertheless. However, because of the Beaufort's Dyke
Beaufort's Dyke
Beaufort's Dyke is the sea trench between Northern Ireland and Scotland within the North Channel. The dyke is 50 km long, 3.5 km wide and 200–300 metres deep....
sea trench, this route would be deeper than the southern routes.
Travel to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
would benefit from this route. The London to Belfast distance would be about 750 km, taking about 3½ hours on a high-speed train. This route would improve travel from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, and most English cities, to Belfast and Dublin.
The Dublin-Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
-Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
-Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
route would be possible. However the route between the two capitals London-Dublin would be indirect. If a high speed Dublin-Belfast railway (160 km) is also built, this route would take four to five hours, making it hard to compete with air travel.
Currently, Stranraer is only served by the Stranraer branch of the Glasgow South Western Line
Glasgow South Western Line
The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...
, which routes northeast towards Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and which is single track south of Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
. With no changes to the network, trains bound for England would be routed via Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
. It may be possible to re-open the former Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway to Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
via Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart is a burgh town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire....
and New Galloway
New Galloway
New Galloway is a town in Dumfries and Galloway Region, southwest Scotland. It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken, a mile north of the end of Loch Ken...
. However, it is unclear whether this could be done easily, or if this line would be suitable for high speed trains. At Dumfries a connection could be made to the Glasgow South Western Main Line
Glasgow South Western Line
The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...
which in turn connects at Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
to the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
(for Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), the Settle-Carlisle Line (for Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
) and the Tyne Valley Line (for Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
).
Carlisle could also be connected to a future British High Speed Rail Network, though this connection might be made further south nearer to Manchester. The A77 road
A77 road
The A77 road is a major road in Scotland. It runs in a southwesternly direction from the city of Glasgow, past the towns of Giffnock, Newton Mearns, Kilmarnock, Prestwick, Ayr, Maybole, Girvan and Stranraer to the town of Portpatrick on the Irish Sea...
heads towards Glasgow, but is part single
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
, part dual
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
, carriageway
Carriageway
A carriageway consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally...
. The A75 road
A75 road
The A75 is a major road in Scotland, heading west along the south coast of Scotland from its junction with the A74 motorway at Gretna. It continues past Eastriggs, Annan, Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart and Glenluce before ending at Stranraer.The majority of the road...
leads towards Carlisle and M6 Motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
, but is mostly single carriageway
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
. It may be better, therefore, to place the terminals somewhere along the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
or M74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
motorways — otherwise it may be necessary to upgrade these roads.
In Northern Ireland, there are two possible sites for the portal on either side of Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...
:
- In County DownCounty Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
near BangorBangor, County DownBangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
. - In County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
between LarneLarneLarne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
and CarrickfergusCarrickfergusCarrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
.
The County Antrim option would connect to the Belfast-Larne railway line and the Dublin-Belfast railway line
Dublin-Belfast railway line
The Dublin-Belfast main line is a major railway route in Ireland that connects Dublin Connolly station in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast Central station in Northern Ireland.-History:The railway line was built by three separate companies...
via Belfast Central station. The County Down option would connect to the Belfast-Bangor railway line, which is connected to the Belfast Central station. Both the Belfast-Larne railway line and the Belfast-Bangor railway line are primarily commuter lines, however, and may not be suitable for conversion. A Belfast-Dublin high-speed train would be useful in quickening journey times.
Irish Mail route
Another option is to follow the traditional route of the Irish Mail steamers from North WalesNorth Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
(Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
) to Dublin (Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
). This tunnel would be about 100 km (62.1 mi) long. The main London-Dublin route is more direct and high-speed trains would be competitive with airlines. Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham are on this route. The distance from London to Dublin would be 550 km, taking 2½ hours on high-speed trains. While this competes well with air travel, the trains would need to compete with budget airline prices.
The British portal of this route would connect to the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
around Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
. The North Wales Coast Line connects North Wales to Crewe (and the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
) via Chester. It runs along the North Wales Coast for most of its length, parallel to the A55 road
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
. The transport corridor is constrained by mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s to the south and by several seaside resort towns.
Increased traffic would mean that capacity along the transport corridor would need to be increased. There are two options for the location of the terminals:
- In Wales near the tunnel portal, with the A55 road being widened to motorway standard.
- In England near the M6 motorwayM6 motorwayThe M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
, with rebuilt large loading gauge railway between tunnel portal and terminal.
There are no major population centres along this route (for this reason there have been no container trains from Holyhead Port for some years), therefore, most traffic would be between Ireland and England. An English train terminal would be better for the environment than roads, however, a Welsh terminal would bring development opportunities to North Wales. Either option would probably require a dedicated high-speed railway line.
Most of the route between Crewe and Llandudno Junction is flat along the coast and would be easy to rebuild. However, further west, there would be some problems. At Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
, the line skirts Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle is a castle in Conwy, on the north coast of Wales.It was built between 1283 and 1289 during King Edward I's second campaign in North Wales....
before crossing the River Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
on the Conwy Bridge
Conwy Railway Bridge
Conwy railway bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conwy between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conwy. The wrought iron tubular bridge was built by Robert Stephenson to a design by William Fairbairn, and is similar in construction to Stephenson's other famous...
, and would probably have to be tunneled under (also making grade separation at Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction
Llandudno Junction , once known as Tremarl, is a small town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River...
easier).
From Bangor, the line rises from just above sea level and runs through tunnels before turning sharply to cross the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
via the single-tracked
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
Britannia Bridge
Britannia Bridge
Britannia Bridge is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. It was originally designed and built by Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans for carrying rail traffic...
, 100 feet above the strait. Even if some trains were diverted by reopening the line to Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
, a new crossing of the Menai Strait would probably be required, possibly in a tunnel, too.
Presently, Holyhead-Liverpool trains follow a circuitous route from Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to reach Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The Wirral Line
Wirral Line
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
offers a more direct route via the Wirral peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
but is a commuter line and would be unsuited to very high speed trains. The Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
crosses the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton station
Shotton railway station
Shotton railway station serves the town of Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated where the Borderlands Line crosses the North Wales Coast Line. All passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales, which manages the station....
, but this terminates on the Wirral and does not reach Liverpool; current plans see it being integrated into the Wirral Line. Journeys would be shorter using a new rail line through a tunnel under the Dee Estuary
Dee Estuary
The Dee Estuary is a large estuary by means of which the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay. The estuary starts near Shotton after a five miles 'canalised' section and the river soon swells to be several miles wide forming the boundary between the Wirral Peninsula in north-west England and...
, across the Wirral (probably partially in a tunnel) and in a tunnel under the River Mersey to connect to Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
. This could be a possible second phase project after the main works.
Tuskar route
The Institute of Engineers of Ireland's 2004 Vision of Transport in Ireland in 2050 recommends a tunnel to be built between the ports of Fishguard and Rosslare This report proposes a new container port on the Shannon EstuaryShannon Estuary
The Shannon Estuary is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south...
, linking a freight line to Europe.
This report also includes ideas for a Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
-Dublin-Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
high-speed train, and for a new freight line from Rosslare to Shannon.
Although London-Dublin and London-Belfast routes would be competitive with air travel, subject to ticket prices, routes from central and northern England and Scotland to Ireland would probably not be competitive.
On the British side, a high-speed line duplicating the Great Western Main Line
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
has been proposed. However, this would be likely to be a lower priority than one running between London, Birmingham and the North West, duplicating the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. Congestion through the Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
is already so great that much freight from the Welsh ports travels a circuitous route via Gloucester; the increased traffic generated by an Irish Sea Tunnel would demand a new crossing of the Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
.
Recent proposals for a barrage
Severn Barrage
The Severn Barrage refers to a range of ideas for building a barrage from the English coast to the Welsh coast over the Severn tidal estuary. Ideas for damming or barraging the Severn estuary have existed since the 19th century. The building of such a barrage would be a huge engineering feat,...
across the mouth of the River Severn have included the option of running a new road and rail crossing between Cardiff and Bristol, which would help this issue.
The M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
ends near Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
. Any motorway extension would pass through rural areas and close to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
, which would generate opposition, however, terminals could be located further inland.
As the IEI's report notes "[This report's object] was to cast a vision, essentially an optimistic vision, of transport in Ireland in the middle of this twenty-first century". It also includes a second English Channel Tunnel.
History and politics
Linking Britain to Ireland by tunnel was first suggested in 1890 and again in 1897, with a British application for £15,000 towards the cost of carrying out borings and soundings in the North ChannelNorth Channel (British Isles)
The North Channel is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland...
to see if a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland was viable. The link would have been of immense commercial benefit, was significant strategically and would have meant faster transatlantic travel from Britain, via Galway and other Irish ports. Sixty years later Harford Hyde
Harford Hyde
Harford Montgomery Hyde , born in Belfast, was a barrister, politician , author and biographer, who lost his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as a result of campaigning for homosexual law reform.-Background:Born on 14 August 1907, on the Malone Road in Belfast, Hyde was schooled...
, Unionist MP for North Belfast, called for a tunnel to be built.
In 1994 the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
opened between Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Technical challenges of constructing a tunnel were overcome. However, the Channel Tunnel was delivered overbudget and predicted traffic levels have never materialised.
A tunnel project has been discussed several times in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
(the Irish Parliament). and in the British parliament.
Economics and politics
Half the air traffic at Dublin AirportDublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
is to Britain, with 8,300,000 passengers per annum. The Dublin to London air route is one of the busiest international routes
World's busiest passenger air routes
The busiest air routes in the world appear to involve pairs of large cities in close proximity, but which rely more on air transport due to a lack of High Speed Rail, and the distance is large enough to discourage car driving...
with 1.974 million passengers in 2007, and there were about 12.3 million air passengers between the republic and the United Kingdom (2007).
The Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
has failed so far to generate the original passenger numbers expected (partially because of low cost airlines). It now has nine million passengers per year, more than air travel, if only counting those who have destinations near London, Paris or Brussels.
The Channel Tunnel also illustrates the funding problem that a tunnel cannot be built and funded in stages, so cost over-runs (such as experienced on the Channel Tunnel) cannot be spread over time. Construction would also take a long time to complete, so the project would be an expensive, long-term, high risk investment.
Opposition to the tunnel might be mounted by powerful corporate interests
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
, particularly ferry companies, shipping line
Shipping line
-History of shipping lines:Large-scale shipping lines became widespread in the nineteenth century, after the development of the steamship in 1783. At first, Great Britain was the centr of development; in 1819, the first steamship crossing of the Atlantic Ocean took place and by 1833, shipping lines...
s and airlines. NIMBY
NIMBY
NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard". The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
local interest groups and environmental groups might oppose individual infrastructure changes.
Various Irish government studies have concluded that an Irish Sea tunnel is, as yet, economically unfeasible. The benefit compared to air and ferry travel does not justify the cost.
Change of gauge and electrification
One of the problems for an Irish Sea tunnel would be the break of gauge between the 1,435 mm standard British gauge and the 1,600 mm Irish broad gauge. This is a particular problem for freight trains, whereas for passenger trains the passengers would probably change trains at a major railway station (Dublin, or Belfast—whichever is closest to the tunnel portal).For onward freight services, the gauge difference might be overcome either by transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
, building new standard gauge lines in Ireland, regauging the existing network to standard gauge, the use of variable gauge axles
Variable gauge axles
A variable gauge system allows railway vehicles in a train to travel across a break of gauge caused by two railway networks with differing track gauges....
, or by the use of dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
.
Trains passing through the long tunnel must use electric traction
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
, so the railways at either end must also be electrically operated. However, as of 2010, most railway lines in Ireland are not electrified; the few that are
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...
use 1.5 kilovolt direct current, in contrast to the 25 kilovolt alternating current used in Britain. In addition, any of the crossing options would require a sizeable electrification project on the British side, as those routes using existing standard gauge track (the Glasgow South Western Line
Glasgow South Western Line
The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...
, the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
, and the South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
west of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
) are not currently, or planned to be, electrified.
See also
- Rail transport in the United KingdomRail transport in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. Rail transport systems developed independently on the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and most of the railway construction in the Republic of Ireland was...
- Rail transport in IrelandRail transport in IrelandRail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
- List of bridge-tunnels
- Saudi-Egypt CausewaySaudi-Egypt CausewayThe Saudi–Egypt Causeway is a proposal to link Egypt and Saudi Arabia with a causeway and bridge. The entire project is expected to cost about 4 billion US dollars...
- Bridge of the Horns
- Orkney TunnelOrkney TunnelThe Orkney Tunnel is a suggested undersea road tunnel between Orkney and Caithness on the Scottish Mainland. The expected length of it would be about 9-10 miles ....
- Orkney TunnelOrkney TunnelThe Orkney Tunnel is a suggested undersea road tunnel between Orkney and Caithness on the Scottish Mainland. The expected length of it would be about 9-10 miles ....
- Rail BalticaRail Balticathumb|300px|Map of Rail Baltica...