PM’s £15billion tunnel linking Scotland and Northern Ireland to be ruled not viable by Network Rail boss

A report by Network Rail boss Sir Peter Hendy will rule PM Boris Johnson’s long-standing dream of a £15 billion tunnel linking ­Scotland and Northern Ireland not viable this week.

The water between Scotland and Northern Ireland is said to be so deep that it would require steep tunnelling that trains would be unable to travel down. A source explained to The Sunday Telegraph: “Trains can only travel at a certain gradient and the sea between the two land masses is almost 1,000ft deep”.

“Hendy has examined if this is affordable and practical and he concludes it would be technically very challenging at the moment … that’s not to say it won’t become viable at some point in the future, but at the moment it would be very, very difficult and expensive”.

The Prime Minister has often spoken of his dream to build a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, first spelling out the idea three years ago. Figures in the UK Treasury have estimated the cost of such a plan at up to £33 billion, while other estimates have suggested around £15 billion. When asked about the plan back in September, Mr Johnson insisted it “it remains an ambition”, before adding it was “not the most immediate” priority.

Former aide to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings, described it in July as “the world’s most stupid tunnel”.