Following approval of funding of £990K earlier this year, the consultants will develop a Fixed Link Model (FLM) for Shetland Islands Council’s Inter-island Transport Connectivity Programme.

While it is clear that, technically, tunnels can be built in Shetland, what needs to be better understood is contractors’ appetite to engage in the work, and what financial support could be available. The council must also understand the range of resources it needs to put in place for any future fixed link projects.

The work will also include a more detailed socio-economic review to map out the potential impact a tunnel could have on local residents, businesses and industries. This will be modelled by developing and evaluating a ‘test’ case; the Yell Sound route has been chosen, as it contains the widest variety of features and issues to help inform the process.

Stantec and COWI are now engaging with industry bodies and potential contractors, to get feedback and better understand the market’s appetite to engage in any future projects.

Councillor Moraig Lyall, chair of the council’s Environment and Transport Committee, said: “I’m very pleased to see this project move to this stage. Key to developing plans for individual projects is being able to test as many elements as we can ahead of time. That covers everything from assessing whether there are contractors out there willing to take on such projects, to where and how funding can be secured.

“It’s very important to note that, just because Yell Sound has been chosen to model, this does not mean it is ‘first on the list’ for construction. Yell Sound simply offers up the widest range of variables which can be tested and modelled.  

“I very much look forward to the results of this work, which will feed into the overall Outline Business Case. Councillors will consider that next year, at which point we will decide on the preferred option for each of the eight island routes within the programme.”  

Szymon Kowalczuk, project lead at COWI, added: “This is a great opportunity to draw on the expertise we have across the UK and internationally and to test what is possible. The viability study is about building the evidence base and a greater understanding of how a network of tunnels could reshape connectivity in Shetland.

“By engaging the supply chain at an early stage, we test assumptions and make sure that the report findings are robust.”