The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has assured that the French Government has once again reiterated that the high-speed connection between both countries will not be ready until at least 2040 in the case of Catalonia and until 2042 in the case of Euskadi. .
In the plenary session of the Senate this Tuesday, Puente explained that the Ministry has met up to three times in recent days with different public organizations in France to discuss these cross-border connections.
Specifically, last Tuesday, December 10, in a meeting with the General Directorate of Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility of France, this country confirmed these deadlines “in the best of cases”, since it pointed to these dates for the studies and not for the execution of the works.
Subsequently, on Wednesday, December 11, the Ministry attended a technical meeting dedicated to cross-border rail corridors in Bordeaux, where the need for progress in France was highlighted, considering that this country was “far behind in both investment and planning in relation to Spain and Portugal.
On Thursday, December 12, the Ministry team met again in Toulouse, while visiting the high-speed connection works between Bordeaux and Toulouse.
On the Spanish side, Puente has confirmed its European commitments to finish the cross-border connection through Euskadi by 2030 (the one in Catalonia is already operational), and works are already underway to implement standard gauge through the third lane between Astigarraga and Irún, and to remodel the Irún station so that it can accommodate international gauge traffic.
The representative of Geroa Bai, Uxue Barkos, who questioned the minister, has also described as “inadmissible” France’s position regarding its commitments to conclude the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors, at the same time that she has claimed a connection between Navarra and that Atlantic Corridor to make the industry more competitive and get more trucks off the road.
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