After the Spanish Governments announcement to reduce the price of local train tickets by 5% with the aim of fostering public transportation to save fuel, the Catalan Government, which manages the service in Catalonia, quantified in 26 million euros its loss in 1 year. Therefore, the Catalan Executive refused to pay for the measure. The Spanish Government will pay 6.75 million euros for 3 months of the measure.
Politicians and businessmen from Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía participated today in an event pushing for the so called Mediterranean Railway Corridor for freight and passengers. They push the European Union to declare it a European priority, an axe that would vertebrate Europe, from Gibraltar to the Baltic Sea. However, participants criticised that the Spanish Government has yet to show its commitment to building freight railway with European-standard width that would connect Andalucía, Valencia and Barcelona to Central Europe. Besides goods, the corridor should also count with a high-speed train connection for passengers.
The delay was attributed to heavy snow in the North of France. It was the first train that a high-speed train crossed the Pyrenees in direction to Paris. The high-speed train route from Barcelona to Paris is expected to be fully completed by 2020. This first train linked the Catalan city of Figueres with Paris, while some passengers came from Barcelona to Figueres in a regular train.
The Catalan Government approved the continued operation of short distance trains in the Barcelona metropolitan area and regional trains within Catalonia by the public Spanish train operator Renfe. Short-distance trains have been a responsibility of the Catalan Government since the 1st of January of 2010. Regional trains will be transferred on the first day of 2011. The train service ownership will thus change, but the service provider will continue being Renfe.
Trains with origins and destinations in Catalonia will be managed by the Catalan Government beginning in 2011. Medium-speed trains (called Avant) are not included. A commission will quantify the cost of the service. The agreement follows what has already been agreed on in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, approved in 2006.
A high-speed train will link Figueres, in the Girona Province, and Perpignan, the capital of the French Roussillon, crossing through the Pyrenees. However, the Figueres-Barcelona part has not yet been finished and will enter into service in 2014. Besides, France has not yet started the construction of a high-speed railway between Perpignan and Montpellier, which could take up to 10 years time.
Lleida has become a clear example of how a high-speed train can change a city. The economic impact after the high-speed train arrival of the conference and meeting sectors has doubled from 8 to 17 million euros.
The Catalan Minister for Public Works is confident about the construction along the Mediterranean shore of the passenger and freight high-speed railway connection, which will connect Catalonia and southern Spain with Europe
A tragic night in Catalonia as a high-speed train hit a group of 30 young people who were leaving the platform by crossing over the tracks instead of going through the underpass. They were heading towards the beach for Sant Joan's Eve festivities.
High-speed trains, regional trains, subways and buses will combine into the greatest transport hub of Barcelona, La Sagrera. The Catalan President considers this huge project as ?an example of cooperation between the different administrations?.
The high speed and capacity railway connection for freight and passengers connecting Spain with France will run along the Mediterranean shore. The option of going via Zaragoza through the middle of the Pyrenees clashes with the economic crisis.