A "fixed link" between Britain and Northern Ireland is being examined in a new transport review launched today by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The study will also consider air links within the UK, road and rail links in Scotland and the Welsh rail network.
The review will be conducted by Peter Hendy, chair of state-owned rail track owner Network Rail, and report its findings in summer 2021.
"Exploring the cost, practicality and demand for a new fixed link between Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is among the stated aims of the report.
Mr Johnson has spoken in the past of his desire for a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Last December, the then taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he would not dismiss the idea of building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland, but insisted the UK must pay for it.
"The United Kingdom is the greatest political partnership the world has ever seen, and we need transport links between our nations that are as strong as our historic bonds," the British Prime Minister said today.
"This review will help make sure we have the right connections to support, sustain and strengthen our communities."
Today's announcement follows a recent pledge by the UK government to bring forward funding to accelerate infrastructure projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Last March, politicians from Scotland and Northern Ireland told British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that the billions of pounds a fixed link across the Irish Sea would cost could be better spent on vital infrastructure projects.
Source:Reuters/RTE
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