‘If you want to be big, you must think big’
THE vision of a under-sea tunnel connecting Guernsey, Jersey and France has gained support in both islands.
A public meeting in Guernsey yesterday, following a similar event in Jersey on Tuesday, laid out the prospect of a 15-minute train journey between the islands, 17 minutes from Jersey to France, and a seven-year build for a tunnel costing between £10,000 and £50,000 per metre.
The local audience was keen on the idea before the presentation, and almost unanimously backing it by the end.
‘If you want to be big, you must think big,’ said Martyn Dorey, a former Chamber president, who is the man driving the idea. Engineers from Scandinavia argued that the project was definitely feasible. The biggest issues to overcome, they said, would be political, not technical.
A range of economic benefits for the islands, including reducing the prospect of tax rises and issues with an ageing population and the cost and availability of housing were highlighted.
Payback on the capital investment required would be estimated at between 16 and 35 years, but Mr Dorey said that the project would be an income generator, not a drain on taxpayers.
