The European Commission will support 10 pilot projects for cross-border rail connections. Among them are two services that will link Portugal and Spain: one between Lisbon and Madrid, and the other between the Portuguese capital and A Coruña.
The European Commission (EC) announced this Tuesday, January 31st, that will support 10 pilot projects for cross-border rail connections. Among them are two services that will link Portugal and Spain: one between Lisbon e Madridand another between the Portuguese capital and the Galician city A Coruña. Both connections will be provided by the operator Isla, which debuted in 2022 in the neighboring country through the brand Iryo.
Among the 10 pilot projects that the European Union will support are existing services and new rail links, such as those that Isla/Iryo wants to launch between the two Iberian countries. The goal is "improving cross-border rail connections across the EU, making them faster, more frequent and more accessible"says the EC.
#ConnectingEurope by train:
- EU Transport (@Transport_EU) January 31, 2023
📢These new 🇪🇺pilot services will improve cross-border rail across the EU!
👉10 projects for new & better 🚄connections
👉By day & by night 🌜
Find the full list here: https://t.co/ON1hgCtxkz pic.twitter.com/2fPiYXC2u9
The 10 pilot projects were selected after reviewing the applications received within the framework of a Action Plan that the EC by the end of 2021to strengthen and encourage long-distance train travel between different European countries. Brussels believes that rail is one of the most sustainable modes of transport and an important part of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
These are the 10 selected proposals in order of planned start-up:
| Candidate | Services |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Ministry of Transport | → Connections between Hungary, Austria and Western Romania |
| Connection Germany - Denmark - Sweden (with the participation of SJ, Snälltaget, České dráhy, Flixtrain and Midnight Trains | → New SJ night train between Stockholm, Copenhagen and Berlin; → A new daytime train also from SJ between Hamburg and Gothenburg (and potentially Oslo, in co-operation with DSB and DB); → Best Snälltaget night train between Stockholm, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Berlin; → New České Dráhy service between Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen in co-operation with DSB and DB; → New Flixtrain service between Leipzig, Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm. |
| Midnight Trains | → New overnight service between Paris, Milan and Venice |
| Flixtrain | → New Service between Munich and Zurich |
| WESTbahn | → New service between Munich, Vienna and Budapest and extension of existing service |
| Nederlandse Spoorwegen | → Improvement of the existing service between Amsterdam and London in cooperation with Eurostar. |
| European Sleeper | → New night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona |
| Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane/DB | → New services between Rome and Munich, and between Milan and Munich |
| ILSA | → New services between Lisbon and A Coruña, and between Lisbon and Madrid |
| Ferrocarrils of the Generalitat of Catalonia | → New services connecting Catalonia and southern France |
According to the order of the table disclosed, the cross-border connections between Portugal and Spain will be among the last to be launched. In fact, the current infrastructure does not yet allow such circulations. Portugal is currently end a new high speed line (250 km/h) between Évora, Elvas and Badajozwhich, if completed, could allow for a fast connection between the two Iberian capitals in five hours. The first forecasts indicated 2023 as the year of the completion of the work, but for this fast connection between Lisbon and Madrid Spain will still have to electrify the entire line between Badajoz and its capital. Currently, traveling by train between Lisbon and Madrid takes nine hours on weekdays and 11 hours on weekends. The only active rail connection between the two countries is between Oporto and Vigo in Galicia.
Meanwhile, the National Rail Plan, which will be under public discussion until the end of Februaryprovides for a significant reinforcement of night trains and international trains to Portugal. In the documentwhich serves only to guide future investments, one can read that "the first measure to be taken, in this context, is the resumption of the Sud Express service"between Lisbon and Paris, allowing a trip in one night and one morning. There are also planned night connections between Lisbon and Madrid, between Lisbon and Barcelona, between A Coruña and Faro, and between Lisbon, Barcelona and Valencia ("an axis worth studying for the creation of such services").
Note that the support now announced by the European Commission is intended only for rail operators and transport authorities for strengthening or launching long-distance day and night services - not for infrastructure construction. However, the EU Action Plan for rail is broader and aims to remove as many obstacles as possible to the use of this mode of transport over long distances, making it the sustainable choice of the younger generations, improving ticketing and offering competitive prices, ensuring the necessary supply of rolling stock, modernizing the infrastructure and promoting its efficient use, accelerating the digitalization of the sector, and empowering the workforce for the challenges ahead.
"While demand for green mobility is growing, we need the rail market to respond much better and much faster, especially for long and cross-border journeys. That's why the European Commission now wants to help rail companies create new international rail links - day and night - by breaking down the many barriers to cross-border rail. I look forward to working with the rail industry to make these 10 pilots a success and to inspire many more to join in."Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, said in a statement. The EC will now invite those responsible for the 10 selected proposals to launch their projects.
Isla, which will enter Portugal with services between Lisbon, Madrid and A Coruña, is a recent rail operatorwhich began operating in Spain last year under the brand Iryo and with a high-speed offer. Isla is owned 45% by Spanish airline Air Nostrum and 55% by Italian railway company Trenitalia.
