High-Speed Train to stop at Girona Costa Brava Airport after Catalan Government investment

Barcelona (CNA).- The Catalan Government has announced it will invest 8 million euros in order to bring the High-Speed Train to Girona Costa Brava Airport. On the one hand, the tourism and economic sectors in Girona have celebrated the agreement because the construction will connect the airport to the city of Barcelona, to Barcelona El Prat Airport, to Figueres and to Southern France. On the other hand, High-Speed train experts from the University of Girona (UdG) are sceptical about the performance of these trains at Girona Costa Brava Airport because of the low volume of passengers and the profile of low-cost travellers. The railway station is expected to be built 2 kilometres away from the Girona Costa Brava Airport. Shuttle buses will connect both buildings on a direct route in just five minutes.

The Catalan Minister for Planning and Sustainability, Santi Vila, has announced an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the owner of the national railways, to unlock the deadlock before the Catalan Parliamentary elections in September. Vila declared that the Spanish Ministry “has taken a positive stance” towards the High-Speed Train in Girona.

The tourism and economic sectors have celebrated this agreement because the construction will make it possible to transform Girona Costa Brava Airport into “another airport runway of Barcelona El Prat Airport” following the example of London, where there are six “fully balanced” airports, according to the director of the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board, Ramon Ramos.

“It is a construction project that can help us attract a lot of companies” and “gain in competitiveness”, explained Ramos. The Director of the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board showed his worries concerning the reduction of passenger traffic at the airport. “Being the second most important airport in Catalonia can benefit both Barcelona and Girona”, said the President of the Girona Chamber of Commerce, Domènec Espadalé.

On the other hand, High-Speed train experts from the University of Girona (UdG) are sceptical about the construction because the investment will be made without planning the performance. Presently, the airport has a low-volume of passengers and the low-cost traveller profile that flies to Girona does not use high-speed trains.

“If Girona Costa Brava Airport keeps its passenger numbers per year to 2 million and with only one low-cost company at the airport, it will be so difficult to make this investment profitable”, explained the Director of the Geography Department at the UdG and High-Speed expert, Jaume Feliu.