{"id":293830,"date":"2025-09-30T19:15:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=66304"},"modified":"2025-09-30T19:15:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T09:15:27","slug":"new-tunnel-between-france-and-spain-perfectly-feasible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=293830","title":{"rendered":"New tunnel between France and Spain \u201cperfectly feasible\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new rail tunnel between France and Spain would be a \u201cperfectly feasible\u201d endeavour, according to Spanish rail association Corredores.eu. It estimates that a tunnel between Benasque (Spain) and Luchon (France), across the Pyrenees, would cost between 350 and 400 million euros and take 15 years to complete.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The vice-president of the Corredores.eu association, Rafael Lopez Guarga, considers the tunnel to be completely within reach. His association aims to improve the rail connectivity of the Iberian peninsula to the rest of Europe, and is highly in favour of projects like these. \u201cGiven the characteristics of the land and the current construction possibilities, it is a perfectly feasible and viable work\u201d, Guarga said.<\/p>\n

A new rail route between Benasque and Luchon could reduce the travelling distance and time considerably. The current route is about 130 kilometres in length and takes two and a half hours. With the proposed tunnel, that could be reduced to 29 kilometres and a travelling time of 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

It would be the shortest link between Zaragoza and Toulouse and provide an economic boost to the involved regions. Moreover, the tunnel could have military and energy-related uses.<\/p>\n

Pau-Canfranc<\/h2>\n

The proposed tunnel would function as a complementary route to the Somport tunnel between Pau and Canfranc. Spain wants to reopen that route, but France has not yet committed to investing in the access routes. That could be the case because France is facing a higher estimated cost picture. Paris is expecting a needed expenditure of 450 million euros, whereas Madrid would need to spend around 90 million euros.<\/p>\n

The Corredores.eu association has been lobbying with members of the European Parliament and collaborating with French partners. They contend that increasing Iberia’s connectivity with France is of geopolitical and strategic interest and draw a comparison to the Alps, which boast seven major crossings within 150 kilometres.<\/p>\n