Shetland’s councillors have endorsed a £1.5bn plan to carve undersea tunnels beneath the North Sea, linking the UK’s most northerly islands in a project that could be finished within eight years. The decision, taken at a meeting in Lerwick on Tuesday, greenlights exploration of funding options for a network that would replace ageing ferries with a permanent road connection.
The feasibility study, which described the tunnels as “economically transformative”, proposes two initial routes: from Shetland’s mainland to Yell, and from Yell to Unst. Two further tunnels, to Whalsay and Bressay, could follow. Council leaders argue that the up-front cost is cheaper in the long run than building new ferries and replacing harbours.
“Shetland councillors back £1.5bn undersea tunnel plan to replace ferries within eight years.”
“The system we have that has served us well for decades is now no longer able to do that,” said Moraig Lyall, the council’s transport chairperson. “It doesn’t have the capacity and we’re struggling with other things, like the ability to crew the system adequately. … The tunnel is the answer that we believe will help us solve these problems.”
The council currently runs ferry services to nine islands, carrying around 750,000 passengers each year on 12 vessels at a cost of £23m per year. Costs have risen sharply, and some routes cannot meet demand for vehicle places.
Unst, the UK’s most northerly island, is home to the UK’s only spaceport at Saxavord and a sizable aquaculture industry. The study says tunnels could boost the rocket facility’s “competitiveness, efficiency and scope for growth”, improve access to labour and generate spin-off benefits from aerospace and tourism.
Boatbuilder Brydon Barclay of Fluggaboats on Unst called the tunnel “absolutely essential” for his business. Council chief executive Maggie Sandison acknowledged the project would not be easy but said pursuing a funding solution was “the right thing to do”.
The money is expected to come from a mixture of private investment, public subsidy and borrowing, alongside tolls to cover maintenance costs. The Faroe Islands, which already have an undersea tunnel network, served as the inspiration for the project. With councillors now backing the search for funds, the question is whether Shetland can secure the billions needed to make the vision a reality.