PORTUGAL, Spain and the European Commission (EC) have agreed a plan for the development of a high-speed line between Lisbon and Madrid.
According to the EC’s implementing decision of October 30, work will be completed on the Évora - Caia section in Portugal by the end of this year for entry into service in 2026. Work to provide a second track on the conventional line between Poceirão and Bombel will start next year for entry into service by the end of 2029.
In Spain, the Plasencia - Talayuela section of the high-speed line will enter service by the end of 2028. Combined with the progressive electrification of the conventional line from Talayuela to Humanes, this will provide a non-stop journey time of less than 3 hours between the Portuguese border and Madrid by the end of 2030, prior to the completion of high-speed infrastructure between Talayuela and Madrid, and will reduce the journey times between the two capitals to 5 hours.
To deliver a 3 hour journey time between Lisbon and Madrid by the end of 2034, studies for the Lisbon - Évora section of the high-speed line, including a new crossing of the River Tagus, will be completed by the end of 2027. Construction will start for entry into service by 2034, also the target date for providing a second track on the high-speed line between Évora and Caia if this is required.
Studies for the high-speed section between Caia and Badajoz in Spain will be launched later this year for completion by the end of 2027. If Portugal and Spain decide to proceed with construction, which may include a new station on the border, this must be completed for entry into service by 2034.
ERTMS deployment
The implementing decision also sets the timetable for progressively deploying ERTMS on the line. It says that by the end of 2027, Portugal and Spain will each develop a coordinated plan for deploying the European standard gauge of 1435mm on the high-speed line between Lisbon and Madrid.
“With concrete investment, timeframes set and coordination between the two countries, we are making sure that high-speed rail is a reality at the service of the people, the economy, and territorial cohesion,” says Portugal’s minster of infrastructure and housing, Miguel Pinto Luz.
“Covering slightly more than 600km from Lisbon to Madrid in 3 three hours is a remarkable example of the high-speed rail connections we aim to achieve across Europe,” says European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
“Such links make train travel a genuinely attractive and sustainable alternative for city-to-city journeys.”
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