EUROPE: Spanish infrastructure manager ADIF is to take responsibility for reconstruction of the Somport tunnel between Spain and France following agreement with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine région.
Visiting Canfranc on June 9 to mark reopening of the upgraded line from Zaragoza, Spanish transport minister José Antonio Santano said that a contract for the €93m tunnel project would be awarded in the autumn. Renovation of the tunnel is being prioritised by Spain, he said, as part of the ‘step-by-step’ approach to reopening the railway between Canfranc and Pau in full. Santano said he had received a firm commitment from French transport minister Philippe Tabarot in support of the scheme. The railway through the mountains has been closed since 1970.
On the Spanish side of the border, the Canfranero line from Huesca to Canfranc has been closed for two years for a major upgrade which has included provision for mixed-gauge operation, reflecting both the break of gauge between France and Spain and the Spanish ambition to enhance access to its industrial heartlands and ports for 1 435 mm gauge freight trains.
Track has been relaid with polivalente sleepers capable of accommodating a third rail so that there will be standard gauge throughout from Pau to Zaragoza and the nearby Plaza international freight logistics hub. No less than €180m has been spent on the route from Zaragoza, with work on the Jaca – Canfranc section costing €46m. The journey time for passenger trains between Huesca and Canfranc has been cut by 30 min to 2 h 35 min.
