Shetland is to back a ‘transformational’ £1.5bn plan to replace ferries with tunnels.

Shetland took inspiration from the neighboring Atlantic islands 200 miles to the northwest in its plans for the caves.

The Faroe Islands have been building tunnels since the 1960s and now have more than 20, including four that connect the island communities that run under the sea.

The network includes a 7.1-mile (11.4 km) tunnel that connects the island of Streymoy with the two sides of the fjord on the island of Eysturoy in the world’s only undersea loop.

The tunnel’s deepest point is 187 meters (614 ft) below the Atlantic Ocean and cuts the driving time between the capital, Tórshavn, and the island’s second largest city, Klaksvik, in half.

Last year, the then prime minister of the Faroes, Axel Johansen, told the BBC that Shetland could boost growth, revitalize the island and encourage population growth by emulating his country’s cave network.

“I think we have learned that investing in infrastructure in the Faroe Islands is a good investment,” he said.