There is already a date for the connection of the two capitals of the Iberian Peninsula by high-speed train. Portugal and Spain are the only countries in the European Union that do not have a high-speed train linking them, but there is already a roadmap to change this, according to the recent agreement between the governments of Spain, Portugal and the European Commission, both Iberian capitals will be linked by AVE in just three hours from 2034.
This announcement confirms not only the definitive date for the implementation of a long-delayed connection, more than 30 years since the first commitments, but also the European backing for one of the Peninsula’s main infrastructural challenges.
Much of the delay in the project has been due to a discrepancy over where the train should pass. For the Spanish government, this line had to connect the capital with Extremadura, one of the communities with the worst communications with the rest of the country and where it is common for there to be stoppages in the train that now connects them. This position has prevailed over Portuguese demands that the train should pass through Salamanca, thus connecting Lisbon with Aveiro.
AVE Madrid – Lisbon: possible dates
The implementation schedule envisages that in 2030 an electrified conventional line will operate, allowing the journey to be completed in five hours, and in 2034, the high-speed train will shorten that time to the desired three hours. The route will exceed 600 kilometers and will contribute to create a true Atlantic axis, linking intermediate communities such as Extremadura, Toledo, Talavera de la Reina and other border areas that will see their connectivity and dynamism increased.
To meet the deadlines, the works will be executed synchronously in both countries. Portugal already has the Évora-Caia line underway, which will be ready in 2026 and will be complemented with new tracks between Poceirão and Bombel, while on the Spanish side,railway improvement works continue in Extremadura and the development of the corridors to Madrid.
This mega-infrastructure is financed through various European programs. 235 million euros will be invested in the Portuguese section alone, while Spain will receive around 750 million euros to connect Extremadura with the capital. In addition, the project is part of the Atlantic Corridor included in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
The European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, stresses that the three-hour trip between Madrid and Lisbon is “a remarkable example of the high-speed rail connections that we aspire to achieve throughout Europe”, reinforcing the use of trains in the European Union, as opposed to other less environmentally friendly means of transport.