{"id":20560,"date":"2026-09-24T12:18:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T12:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tunnelingworld.com\/?p=20560"},"modified":"2026-09-24T12:18:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T12:18:48","slug":"shetland-inter-island-tunnel-moves-a-step-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tunnelingworld.com\/?p=20560","title":{"rendered":"Shetland inter-island tunnel moves a step closer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"drop-cap\">Work is set to start on a tunnel between the Shetland mainland and the island of Yell after the Shetland Islands Council approved an inter-island transport connectivity Implementation Route Map (IRM) this week.<\/p>\n<p>Subject to funding, the IRM\u00a0could see plans progress for two subsea tunnels and eight new inter-island ferries.<\/p>\n<p>The first tunnel planned will connect Shetland\u2019s mainland and Yell, followed by a tunnel from Yell to Unst. Both projects are dependent on full funding being secured.<\/p>\n<p>The Scottish government has confirmed that funding committed earlier this year will be made available to allow the project business case and pre-construction work for the Yell Sound tunnel to commence.<\/p>\n<p>The draft IRM, prepared by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tunnelsandtunnelling.com\/news\/shetland-islands-council-explores-tunnel-potential\/?cf-view\">consortium<\/a> of Stantec, COWI and Mott MacDonald, is the final stage in the development of the long-term programme for inter-island transport connectivity. It sets out a timed programme of investment over approximately 30 years.<\/p>\n<p>The IRM also gives the proposed investment programme for ferry services for the other routes, including the immediate investment needed on Bluemull Sound.<\/p>\n<p>Council leader Emma Macdonald said the IRM was a major step forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Scottish government funding in place to begin initial work for the Yell Sound tunnel, today\u2019s decision means that this work can now get under way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is critical not only for Shetland but for Scotland and the UK, which will benefit from our growing seafood, renewable energy, tourism and space industries. As the work begins, we will continue to pursue the long-term funding which will not only build our tunnels, but be used to invest in our ferry services which will continue to be a lifeline for the isles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added that the most significant challenge now was to secure funding for the projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work is set to start on a tunnel between the Shetland mainland and the island of Yell after the Shetland Islands Council approved an inter-island transport connectivity Implementation Route Map (IRM) this week. Subject to funding, the IRM\u00a0could see plans progress for two subsea tunnels and eight new inter-island ferries. The first tunnel planned will connect Shetland\u2019s mainland and Yell, followed by a tunnel from Yell to Unst. Both projects are dependent on full funding being secured. The Scottish government has confirmed that funding committed earlier this year will be made available to allow the project business case and pre-construction [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4001],"tags":[5585,3241,5584],"class_list":["post-20560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contract-projects","tag-implementation-route-map-irm","tag-scottish-government","tag-shetland-inter-island-tunnel","post--single"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Shetland Inter-Island Tunnel Moves Closer to Construction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Funding has been confirmed for pre-construction work on the Yell Sound tunnel, bringing Shetland\u2019s 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