SPAIN's Council of Ministers has authorised the Ministry of Development to approve a tender by Adif High Speed worth €266m for the construction of three sections of the Basque Y high-speed network linking Vitoria, Bilbao and San Sebastián with Irun on the French border.

THREE projects developed by Catalunya Railways (FGC) in cooperation with the Railgrup cluster and other Spanish organisations have been selected for funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and development initiative.

SPANISH rolling stock manufacturer Talgo has selected JP Morgan, Santander, and Nomura as banking advisors to evaluate the possibility of launching an initial public offering on the Madrid stock exchange, which is provisionally valued at €400-500m.

SPAIN's infrastructure manager Adif will open new sections of high-speed line totalling 798km this year, extending the current passenger-dedicated network with lines radiating from Madrid towards the periphery of the Iberian Peninsula.

SPAIN's infrastructure manager Adif has awarded a €155m contract to a consortium led by CAF Signalling to equip the new Monforte de Cid – Murcia high-speed line with ERTMS Level 2.

TENERIFE welcomed the 100-millionth passenger to the island's 15.1km light rail network on January 22, seven-and-a-half years after the opening of the first line.

INTERNATIONAL high-speed services between Spain and France were suspended on November 30 after floodwater inundated the tunnels beneath Girona for the second time in two months.

SPANISH national train operator Renfe and German Rail (DB) subsidiary Transfesa are facing an investigation by Spanish competition authorities following evidence of a possible collusion agreement and abuse of a dominant position by the public company, which could be detrimental to other railfreight operators.

THE Catalan autonomous government presented proposals on October 16 for a project to extend the Catalan Government Railways (FGC) Llobregat-Anoia metre-gauge suburban lines from its current Barcelona terminus at Plaça de Espanya beneath the city's central Eixample district to Gràcia.

While high-speed lines have been built primarily to serve the inter-city market, regional travellers are also benefiting from the investment in new rail infrastructure. IRJ editors look at the development of regional high-speed in three European countries and consider the prospects for growth.