Shetland islands could get subsea tunnels within eight years

Shetland could get its first subsea tunnels within eight years after a test link through Yell Sound was judged buildable and investable, bringing four island routes closer to fixed links. Shetland Islands Council has already set out tunnels as the preferred long-term option for Bressay, Unst, Whalsay and Yell after a Strategic Outline Case in June 2025.

The push comes as the island network’s ferry system strains under rising costs and an ageing fleet. Council material says operating costs climbed to £25 million in 2024/25, while the average vessel age is 32.5 years. Officials also cite persistent crew shortages and vehicle deck capacity problems on key routes. Those ferries remain essential for commuters, hospital patients, schoolchildren and goods, which makes transport a daily economic issue as much as a logistical one.

The programme does not treat every route alike. Council papers recommend enhanced ferry services for Fetlar, Foula, Papa Stour and Skerries, while Fair Isle is being handled separately. More than 1,000 people responded to the consultation, and residents have been hearing the options at community drop-in sessions across the islands as councillors moved toward a route-by-route decision in June 2026.

Emma Macdonald, the council leader, has framed the tunnels as a way to future-proof island populations, build sustainable communities and help reverse depopulation. Alistair Carmichael, the Isles MP, has backed the direction of travel and said there had been “a few false dawns” before. The council has also pointed to the Faroe Islands as evidence that fixed links can support population growth, a younger age profile and stronger economic prospects.

The idea has been in circulation for years. The Shetland Inter-Isle Transport Study, published in December 2016, set out the strategic business case for inter-island transport for the next 30 years and helped secure extra ferry funding for 2018/19 and 2019/20. That work fed into the current Short Crossings Project and the Inter-Island Transport Connectivity Programme, which has been advised by Stantec UK Ltd, COWI, Mott MacDonald and ProVersa.

The next step is a Strategic Outline Case and then an Outline Business Case to test the case for investment in ferries, harbours and, in some cases, fixed links. Transport Scotland says the Shetland Ferry Replacement Task Force has been meeting since August 2023, and in April 2025 it noted that tunnels were being considered alongside new ferries while funding models were still being developed. The council’s timetable now points to the first links being in place within roughly eight years if the political and financial case holds.