La Y vasca

López de Guereñu suggests Spanish Ministry of Public Works a coordinated exploitation of the new Basque railway network

10/01/2007

Basque Councillor of Transport, Nuria López de Guereñu suggested the Spanish Ministry of Public Works to write a technical report on the benefits of a joint planning and exploitation of the Basque railway network. Ms López de Guereñu has met Spanish Secretary for Infrastructures and Planning, Víctor Morlán, and the president of the Spanish Administrator of Railway Infrastructures (ADIF), Antonio González. She availed herself of the opportunity to present this idea to her colleagues.

The Basque Government aims with this proposal to develop those projects relating to the future Basque railway network in a coordinated and rational way, so that they are able to get an integrated and complementary offer that ?provides a more efficient and adequate service able to fulfil the current demand of the citizens?.

Besides, the new Basque railway network is ?an excellent opportunity to reorganise the whole Basque railway system?, the Basque Councillor said. In addition to this, both governments agreed, according to the Basque Department of Transport, that the Basque Y?s project is at ?an irreversible stage?.

The Basque Councillor took the Donostialdea and Gran Bilbao urban areas as an example. In her opinion, the Basque Y, the railway access to the Pasajes mountain pass or the bypass that would avoid transporting freight through Donostia?s city centre are some of the projects needing a joint planning, based on intermodality and sustainability.

López de Guereñu also insisted in the importance of building a railway station in the Riberas de Loiola neighbourhood in Donostia-San Sebastián. Thus, there would be a direct connection between EuskoTren, Renfe and Basque Y lines.

The Councillor also defended the coordinated exploitation of the railway network within the Bilbao urban area, where different lines of EuskoTren, Renfe, FEVE, Metro Bilbao and EuskoTram converge, including those infrastructures that will approach the city in a future: the new access to the Bilbao?s Port through the new Super Sur motorway or the Basque Y.