Adif will award the contract for the reopening of the Somport railway tunnel in the fall

On the day of the return of the Zaragoza -Canfranc line, the Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, announced that Adif will award the contract for the renovation of the Somport railway tunnel “at the beginning of autumn,” an essential step for the return of the international line to the French city of Pau. This is the next step following the informative study for the feasibility of reopening, which the Ministry headed by Óscar Puente undertook in 2024.

The progress announced from the International Station itself marks a roadmap that is advancing outside of France , which is still pending adaptation, from the outset, of the 30 kilometers to Bedous. In statements to the media, Santano recalled the contacts with the French Transport branch and the New Aquitaine region so that Adif can take charge of the renovation of the entire passage on both sides of the Pyrenees. ” It is a major project, worth more than 90 million euros. I held a meeting in Luxembourg with the French Minister of Transport (Philippe Tabarot, who replaced François Durovray) in which, among other topics, we discussed the tunnel. The receptivity is very high; they are convinced of the need to reopen it,” he added.

Adif’s compliance with the deadlines “does not prevent” the search for cross-border ” formulas for collaboration“, according to Santano. The Secretary of State emphasized that the Canfranc is one of the most affordable connections “in the short term,” a sentiment shared on both sides of the Pyrenees, in his opinion. “We are insisting that they fulfill their existing commitments, and the French minister has confirmed to us that they are committed to that goal. I trust that the Prime Minister will have the utmost interest in ensuring that Pau can be connected to Aragon,” he emphasized.

José Antonio Santano stated that ” Canfranc has been a symbol of the railway history of Aragon and Spain“, and also “the link between the past and the future,” which also includes the demands to recover the Central Pyrenees Crossing. However, he called for a “step-by-step” approach and prioritizing the recovery of the tunnel.

AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT

The long-term outlook for the reopening of the international line hasn’t prevented the Secretary of State from stating that Monday’s event was “a railway milestone.” The renovation of the line known as the Canfranero line has involved an investment of over €180 million and work marked by delays. Initial estimates pointed to May last year as the completion date, and then December.

The latest investments have gone to the Plasencia del Monte-Ayerbe (23.2 million), Ayerbe-Caldearenas (58) and Jaca-Canfranc (45.6) sections. All of this is apart from the rehabilitation of the main enclave and its historic centre. For Santano, it is about ” demonstrating with facts ” the commitment to the railway, “not just on high-speed lines”. The journey between the capital of Alto Aragón and the Pyrenees has been reduced to 2 hours and 35 minutes, around half an hour less, and from Zaragoza it will be under three and a half hours. The new timetables include two daily frequencies in each direction: 6:35 a.m. and 6:19 p.m. towards Delicias, arriving at 12:02 p.m. and 7:48 p.m.

During his visit to Canfranc, the head of the department referred to the recurring incidents on the Huesca -Madrid high-speed train. He attributed them to “a material problem” that they hope to resolve.