Shetland Islands Council has entered a key phase of its transport connectivity programme, with consultants now developing a model to test the viability of fixed links, including subsea tunnels between islands.
The work follows a £990,000 funding award earlier this year, and will help determine whether fixed links could replace ferry services in the future, how they might be delivered, and what the potential social and economic impact would be.
Specialist firms Stantec and COWI have been brought in to create a Fixed Link Model, using the Yell Sound route as a ‘test case’.
Yell Sound has been selected not because it will be the first project to go ahead, but because it offers the widest variety of features, allowing consultants to explore as many variables as possible.
Initial findings confirm that tunnels are technically feasible in Shetland.
The focus now shifts to understanding whether contractors are willing to take on such large-scale work and what sort of financial and logistical support would be required to move forward.
“This is a great opportunity to draw on UK and international expertise to test what is possible,” said Szymon Kowalczuk, Project Lead at COWI.
“By engaging the supply chain early, we make sure the report findings are robust and grounded in real-world conditions.”
The study will include a detailed socio-economic review, looking at how fixed links could reshape daily life for island residents, businesses and industries.
This includes access to services, job opportunities, education, and potential knock-on effects on population retention and growth.
Councillor Moraig Lyall, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Transport Committee, welcomed the progress.
“Key to developing plans for any future project is being able to test as many elements as possible ahead of time,” she said.
“That includes whether there are contractors willing to take this on and how funding might be secured, but also what impact these changes would have on communities.”
She stressed that while Yell Sound is being used for modelling purposes, no decisions have been made about which route would be developed first.
“This work is about gathering evidence to inform the Outline Business Case.
“Councillors will review that next year and decide on the preferred options for each of the eight routes in the programme.”
Once the modelling work is complete, the findings will feed directly into the wider business case, expected to shape the council’s transport strategy for years to come.
