La conexión ferroviaria de alta velocidad del sudoeste europeo

Better transport links for Europe — Succeeding through coordination July 2008 A series of high-speed rail lines will link cities in Spain and Portugal to the French high-speed network and will connect the Iberian peninsula to the rest of the EU in what will be a major boost for the European transport network. Travel times will be drastically reduced thanks to this ‘south-west European high-speed rail link’: travel between Lisbon and Madrid will be slashed by eight hours, travel between Madrid and Barcelona will be cut by well over half, and Madrid will be — by the end of 2012 — within four hours by rail of the French border. A major benefit of the project will be to reduce CO2 emissions by shifting freight from road to rail and passengers from air to rail. Priority project 3 of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) consists of high-speed lines from Porto to Lisbon and from Lisbon to Madrid. From Madrid, there will be two branches — Atlantic and Mediterranean — connecting to the French high-speed rail network (see map on page 3). The Atlantic branch for which the freight aspect of the project is particularly important — connects Madrid– Vitoria–Irún/Hendaye–Dax–Bordeaux–Tours and then joins the existing Paris–Tours high-speed line. The Mediterranean branch links Madrid–Zaragoza–Barcelona–Figueras– Perpignan–Montpellier–Nîmes and then joins the existing Paris–Lyon–Marseille/Nîmes high-speed line. The south-west European high-speed rail link The project faces numerous challenges, including in particular achieving interoperability of the networks, as Spain and Portugal use a different track gauge compared to the rest of Europe. In addition, there are several issues regarding crossborder connections between Spain and France and different timetables for construction in the two countries, as well as other complications with construction in certain areas. The total cost of the project is expected to be EUR 50.6 billion which will include the construction and upgrade of almost 3 800 km of track as well as several tunnels. Fact file: TEN-T priority project 3 (1) Distance 3 753 km Previous journey time Lisbon–Madrid (2) 10 h 40 min Madrid–Barcelona (2) 6 h 50 min Projected journey time Lisbon–Madrid (2) 2 h 45 min Madrid–Barcelona (2) 2 h 38 min Estimated final completion date 2020 Total projected approximate cost EUR 50.6 billion (1) Figures taken from ‘TEN-T implementation of priority projects — progress report, May 2008’. (2) Routes listed by way of example — the project also includes other routes © European Commission/Alain Baron © SNCF KO 81 07 106 EN D FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 3FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 3 20/08/08 17:11:3020/08/08 17:11:30 What does the project involve? High-speed tracks capable of speeds of 250 km/h will be laid along all sections of the south-west European high-speed rail link. For the Mediterranean branch, it involves the construction of new lines between Madrid and Barcelona and continuing to Figueras to connect to the French rail system in Nîmes. In France, the main priority will be the new line between Nîmes and Montpellier, due for completion by 2013, as well as a rail bypass, mainly for freight, designed to alleviate one of the main bottlenecks on this line. A new Montpellier–Perpignan highspeed line is planned to be completed by 2020. On the Atlantic branch, from Madrid to Valladolid, a new high-speed line has been put into service. The future connection to Vitoria/Irún — the so-called ‘Basque Y’ — is under construction and will connect to the French high-speed line. In France, the plan is to have high-speed rail extending from Dax to Bordeaux by 2020 and from Bordeaux to Tours by 2016 and connecting to the existing high-speed line. A line linking Madrid to Lisbon and Porto is also being planned. The new track will allow for dramatically reduced travel times. The previous Lisbon–Madrid journey of 10 hours 40 minutes will be slashed to 2 hours 45 minutes. Challenges The south-west European high-speed rail link faces several key challenges, such as the existence of a different rail gauge on the Iberian peninsula which makes achieving interoperability between the new track and existing track more complicated. Problems have also arisen in Barcelona due to concerns about the route impacting on sensitive areas of cultural importance. These concerns have led to significant delays in completing the Madrid–Barcelona section. There are also complications in the area of Figueras/Girona, where the construction of the line could be more than three years behind schedule. The border-crossing section Perpignan–Figueras — which is being built and which will be managed through a public–private partnership — is proceeding according to plan. However, due to the delays around Figueras/Girona, the project is likely to be underused for several years. Meet the coordinator: Étienne Davignon Belgian Étienne Davignon was named European coordinator of the south-west European high-speed rail link in July 2005. He served as EU Commissioner with responsibility for industry from 1977 to 1985. He has also worked at the International Energy Agency and has served as Belgian foreign affairs minister. ‘The south-west European high-speed rail link is essential for ensuring the continuity of the trans-European railway network,’ Davignon said in his 2007 progress report. © Shutterstock FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 4FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 4 20/08/08 17:11:3120/08/08 17:11:31 Luxembourg Paris Lyon Bordeaux Tours Dax San Sebastián Irún/Hendaye Tarragona Barcelona Figueras Perpignan Béziers Montpellier Nîmes Avignon Bilbao Valladolid Palencia Salamanca Porto Aveiro Leiria Viseu Cáceres Toledo Badajoz Marseille Madrid Lisboa Bern Zaragoza Lérida Vitoria Burgos Évora Setúbal Angoulème Th e sout h -west European h ig h -spee d rai l l in k What will be the benefits? The project will significantly increase the Iberian peninsula’s access to France and to the rest of Europe, and vice versa. This, indeed, is the main aim of the project. Moreover, travel times within Spain and Portugal will be greatly reduced. The previously 10 hours 40 minute journey time between Lisbon and Madrid will be slashed to 2 hours 45 minutes. Travel between Madrid and Barcelona will be reduced from 6 hours 50 minutes to 2 hours 38 minutes. The new line will operate on the standard European gauge track, as opposed to the Iberian, wider gauge track, benefiting travellers and transport operators alike. There will no longer be a need to change trains at the French/Spanish border, making travel much faster and easier. Freight transport will be the main beneficiary, in particular of the cross-border connections. Gauges will not have to be switched, nor will freight need to be transferred from rail to road, as is frequently done now to save time and money. This will significantly reduce transport times between France and Spain. The project is also expected to bring important environmental gains. Increased rail freight capacity is anticipated, which will allow for a significant reduction of CO2 emissions compared with the current situation in which road dominates freight operations. Priority section Cross-border section Bottleneck At what stage is the work? Completed Ongoing To start before 2010 To start between 2010 and 2013 To start after 2013 FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 5FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 5 20/08/08 17:11:3720/08/08 17:11:37 What is the progress so far? Significant progress has been made on several sections of the project. On the Mediterranean branch, the section between Madrid and Barcelona became operational on 20 February 2008. Work continues on the Perpignan–Figueras cross-border section. The section is scheduled to be finished in February 2009 and much of the civil engineering work on both sides has already been completed. On the Atlantic branch, the Madrid–Valladolid section, which includes a 28 km tunnel, was inaugurated on 22 December 2007. Work on the ‘Basque Y’ has already begun and the entire section is scheduled to be finished in 2013. Studies still need to be completed for the Spanish–French border crossing at Dax. Public consent for the Dax–Bordeaux line is foreseen for around 2011–12. Concerning the Madrid–Lisbon/Porto line, transport ministers from both Spain and Portugal have stated that the completion of the line is of high importance. When completed, the project will undoubtedly benefit the trans-European transport network, and the Iberian peninsula, greatly, making both passenger travel and freight transport faster and easier and reducing CO2 emissions in the process. For the complete 2006 and 2007 annual reports on this project, see: http://ec.europa.eu/ten/transport/coordinators/index_en.htm © European Communities, 2008 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Published by: Directorate-General for Energy and Transport European Commission, B-1049 Brussels http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/index_en.html © European Commission/Alain Baron KO-81-07-106-EN-D FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 2FactSheetPP03_080820.indd 2 20/08/08 17:11:2620/08/08 17:11:26