EUROPE: The European Commission has reached a decision over the timeline for completion of a high speed mixed-traffic railway linking Madrid and Lisboa, targeting a journey time of around 5 h by 2030 and 3 h by 2034.
There are around 40 commercial flights per day between the Iberian capitals. However, there is currently no direct passenger rail connection, which has been identified as an increasingly serious gap in the pan-European TEN-T rail network. The cities are around 505 km apart in a straight line, and a rail corridor would be approximately 600 km long.
The delivery plan outlined by EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas on October 30 sets out a number of enhancements which are needed. These include double-tracking from Poceirão to Bombel, where work is to start in the first half of 2026 for completion by the end of 2029, and entry into service by mid-2026 of an 80 km cut-off between Évora, Elvas and the border crossing at Caia. ERTMS is required to be operational on this section by the end of 2027.
Standard gauge corridor
EU policymakers have reiterated that they want to see a 1 435 mm gauge high speed corridor between the two capitals fully operational by 2034.
Major outstanding works to make this a reality include construction of high speed infrastructure between Évora and Lisboa, including a new crossing over the River Tagus. This would be complemented by a new high speed line between Évora, Caia and Badajoz, for which formal design studies are to be launched by the end of this year for completion by the end of 2027. These studies will inform the final design of the cross-border section of the route, including a potential border station to be built at Caia.
A considerable amount of EU money has already been pumped into schemes for developing rail services between Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese line from Évora to Elvas on the border has received €235m of EU co-financing via the Connecting Europe Facility, while the future Madrid – Badajoz high speed line, which is currently operational between Plasencia and Badajoz, has received €750m since 2014.
