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Summary of the conference 'Transport Infrastructures in the Basque Country'

12/01/2009

Bilbao's Domine Hotel held yesterday the conference 'Transport Infrastructures in the Basque Country'. The session dealt with the following performances, tender deadlines and financing formulae for tubes, trams, high-speed railways, roads and ports.

Making the first speech was the Vice Councillor for Transport and Public Works of the Basque Government, Ernesto Gasco, who focused on the New Basque Railway Network.

Among other issues, he mentioned the technical features and the basic parameters of design, as web as the characters of the branch in Gipuzkoa. Next, he discussed the current situation of the works and the predictions the Basque Government considers. He also added that by the end of this year 5 sections in Gipuzkoa will be under construction works, 9 the following year and 13 by December of 2011.

He as well dealt with the accesses to Donostia-San Sebastián and Irun, the railway integration in Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Donostia-San Sebastián, Astigarraga, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Lezo Stations.

The second topic to talk on was Donostialdea's tube. Josu Agirrezabalaga, Pedro Puig-Pey and Luis del Campo, are members of the three engineer companies responsible for developing the information survey of the mentioned project and it was their turn to refer to the topic.

Following an overview of the historical causes, they set out the reason why they should go for the new system by stressing the dense population in Gipuzkoa that would make use of the system, and the possibility of making the most pf the existing railway network by means of extending the services to areas where currently there is no railway access. Those places would be Hondarribia and the airport, all this improving intermodality along with other means of public transport.

The Vice Councillor of ETS, César Gimeno, for his part, centred on the extension projects of Bilbao's tube. In fact, works in line 3 started in July with the tender award of the first section (Etxebarri - Txurdinaga), and not long ago two more stretches were awarded: Txurdinaga - Casco Viejo and Uribarri. The line 3 construction should finish by 2013 and by the end of the year the information survey of the building of line 4 (Moyua - Rekalde) underground will be put out to tender.

The Director General of ETS, Luis Pedro Marco, and the Director General of EuskoTren, José Ignacio Asensio, also told about the performances related to the railway infrastructures.

Luis Pedro Marco focused on Leioa's tram (Stage I: Leioa - Universidad and Stage II: Leioa - Urbinaga). The first stage will measure 3,860 metres and will consist of 9 stops, whereas the second, measuring 1,660 metres in length, will have 2 halts. The latter will also have a mobile bridge over the river. He also dealt with the extension of the Vitoria-Gasteiz tram services into the centre of Abetxuko neighbourhood. The project is already finished and awaiting tender. It is expected to be 800 metre-long and own 2 halts.

Mr Asensio, for his part, focused in the Vitoria-Gasteiz tram service. He released numbers and data, proof of the social acceptance, and also told about the investment model and the costs of the operation, detailed the rolling stock, the types of financing, building and exploitation.

In the evening two more speeches were delivered. One on Pasaia's exterior port and the other on the public-private collaboration.

The view the photos of the event click here.