Twenty-four years after negotiations began to create a high-speed train linking the two Iberian capitals, a date is beginning to emerge. The Government of Portugal has announced that 2034 is expected to be the year in which the AVE high-speed train between Madrid and Lisbon will finally be inaugurated, as part of the neighboring country’s transport decarbonization plan.
Yesterday, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro made several announcements regarding Portugal’s infrastructure. Lisbon will have a new airport and a new bridge will also be built over the Tagus, crucial to unblock the connection between the capitals, which was also among the announcements. This third bridge over the river that crosses both countries will allow a three-hour trip between the two cities.
For this major rail infrastructure project to be completed, Spain must also fulfill its part of the project. The high-speed network linking Madrid and Badajoz must be built before 2030. The final schedule for the project will be agreed, according to the Portuguese executive, with the European Commission, with a view to receiving EU funding.
why is it taking so long for the Madrid-Lisbon AVE to arrive?
Spain and Portugal are the only neighboring countries in La Unión that still do not have a high-speed train connecting their territory. This is mainly due to an indecision and clash of interests for the cities that the train should pass through. 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 to have stoppages in the train that now connects them. Thus, by creating the connection with the Portuguese capital, an internal problem was also solved.
This position has prevailed over Portuguese demands for the train to pass through Salamanca, thus connecting Lisbon with Aveiro. On the other hand, the Portuguese government has also launched the Atlantic corridor that aims to connect Porto with Vigo in less than an hour.