EU to help improve Portuguese and Spanish rail connections

The EU’s TEN-T Programme will invest €400,000 in technical studies for the improvement of the cross-border railway infrastructure in Portugal and Spain. The project will contribute to the development of transport services between both countries and the rest of Europe.

The studies are part of a larger project aiming to reinforce interoperable freight and passenger transport between Portugal and Spain, optimising their connections with the rest of Europe.

This project will deliver a set of technical norms in the field of catenary, electromagnetic compatibility, signalling and track. The new standards will support the implementation of an interoperable railway infrastructure of one track with three rails, to allow both standard and Iberian gauge trains operate on the same route.

The project’s outcomes will contribute to the preparation of detailed design ahead of the construction.

The project was selected for EU funding with the assistance of external experts under the TEN-T Annual Call 2013, priority ‘Rail transport’. Its implementation will be monitored by INEA, the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency.

The project is to be completed by December 2015.