Transport links between the Channel Islands have been a long-standing issue. Whether it be the long delays at the airport with the drowning fog that the small 20 row planes can’t land in… or maybe the hottest issue this season is the overpriced tickets making every venture off island 100 pounds + more expensive.

Guernsey, in particular, struggles with this debate. A longer runway is one idea but a tunnel seems to be the new dig.

Research

Based on his research of the Faro Islands… one man believes that their success creating tunnels of a similar distance between their islands…means its a mimic-able task.

I contacted one of the lead researchers of the tunnels connecting the two islands of which had names I could never pronounce… (Skálafjørður og Tórshavn). He confirmed, in broad terms, that it could be done following a similar distance tunnel they have in the making. But one thing.. the ground we have beneath our channel is different to there’s. So who really knows?

How?

Well a solo project in Guernsey, has a plan. A slideshow of a plan in fact which I had the pleasure of seeing. Slide one… a dual carriageway tunnel between Jersey and Guernsey running under Herm and Sark, with the possibility of a stop off point in sark with a lift for safety, island access, and rest point.

Why?

The island would increase GDP by sharing trade, decrease the cost of government with linked strategy and even shared a hospital to offer patients more specialist doctors, quicker appointment time and so on. The slides also add that there would be increased social cohesion… something that possibly could take some working on given the rivalry of the “crappos” and the “donkeys”.

General response?

Never going to happen is the initial thought. But after looking at what could really be shared between the islands… maybe there’s light at the end of this tunnel.