{"id":42937,"date":"2024-05-13T20:22:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T10:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=52500"},"modified":"2024-05-13T20:22:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T10:22:19","slug":"spain-launches-reopening-feasibility-study-for-trans-pyrenees-railway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=42937","title":{"rendered":"Spain launches reopening feasibility study for trans-Pyrenees railway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish transport ministry is putting out a tender for a feasibility study for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc rail line between France and Spain, as well as a direct connection of the line with the Mediterranean Corridor. The study is supposed to research the effect of the infrastructure plans on the circulation of goods via rail.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The transport ministry will fund the feasibility study with slightly over half a million euros from the Connecting Europe Facility. The study will focus on the effects of a reopening of the international Pau-Canfranc rail line on the circulation of goods.<\/p>\n

Additionally, it will assess a direct connection between the line and the Mediterranean Corridor. Such a connection is supposed to bypass Zaragoza, which would avoid \u2018cargo breakdown problems\u2019. Currently, cargo from Zaragoza heading to the Mediterranean Corridor around Barcelona makes use of two single-track lines on Iberian gauge.<\/p>\n

France remains disinterested in the line<\/h2>\n

The Pau-Canfranc rail section runs through the Pyrenees between Spain and France, and is the westernmost rail crossing through the mountain range. It has been closed since 1970<\/a>, after a freight train accident destroyed a bridge along the route.<\/p>\n

For its part, Spain maintains the railway up to the French border and has invested millions in switching it to standard European gauge and upgrading the line for higher speeds and longer trains<\/a>. On the French side, however, the railway has been neglected. France has shown a lack of commitment to the reopening of the line, regardless of EU support for such a reopening. Last year, the European Commission supported the project by granting 9,1 million euros for technical studies related to the line.<\/p>\n

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