SPAIN’S best known train operator has turned to Portugal for a high-speed international train line after initiatives with France fell flat.
Renfe will operate its own trains in the ongoing connection of the high speed train network between Lisbon and Madrid.
It comes after plans to build a high speed train between Madrid and Paris came to an acrimonious end.
The Spanish company originally wanted to deliver a high speed connection with France for the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
However, technical obstacles, bureaucratic requirements and delays caused an outright spat between Spain and France.
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It led to Spain’s Ministry of Transport accusing France of demanding unequal market access.
While the French train company Ouigo has been operating in Spain since 2021, their safety regulator has repeatedly delayed the approval of Renfe trains to operate in their country.
There is also a 150km gap in high speed lines in Southern France, specifically in Montpellier and Perpignan, leading trains to slow down and causing significant delays and inconvenience.
This, together with different safety signaling systems, distinct power electrification setups and an Iberian railway that is wider than the standard European one has led Renfe to abandon their international route plans to France.
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The Ministry of Transport has now decided to turn towards Portugal and contribute with their own trains to the upcoming Lisbon-Madrid line, which is scheduled to be finished by 2030 and operating with high speed by 2034.
The current journey from Madrid to Lisbon requires an arduous transfer in Extremadura to a train run by the Portuguese train company (CP) and takes up to 10 hours.
With its trains operating in the area, Renfe expects that the trip will take five hours by 2030 and only three by 2034.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that they are relying on the Basque train models Talgo to build effective connections between the countries, focusing especially on Galicia and Madrid.
“We must analyse reality and not be stubborn with difficult things, so we are changing our minds, focusing more on Portugal, which is on the verge of launching its high speed network and it is a land in which we will work more comfortably and will have a better entrance,” Puente told Europa Press.
The Lisbon-Madrid line is still under construction, but is making steady progress. Out of the seven sections, three have been completed, one is under construction and the other three are pending or at the planning stage.
Toledo is the main stumbling block to construction on the Spanish side, partly due to most of the city being protected by UNESCO, partly due to disagreements as to the location of the railway in a geographically complicated city.
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