Basque Y
Encyclopedia
High-speed rail in Spain
The high-speed railway network in Spain currently consists of four dedicated passenger train main lines, in Spain named L.A.V. abbreviation for linea de alta velocidad...
network being built between the three cities of the Basque Country autonomous community
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
; Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
and Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Characteristics
The cargo trains will connect the Port of Bilbao
Port of Bilbao
The Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao, in Biscay . The main facilities are in the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities, approximately 15 km west of Bilbao...
with the Port of Pasaia, (also known as Pasajes/Pasajes-San Pedro) and
will consist of 157 kilometers of double track and 37 kilometers of single track.
Due to the mountainous relief of the region, 105,9 km (62%) will be in 80 tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s and 10% in 71 bridges.
The minimum speed is 90 km/h, whilst the maximum is 230 km/h.
It will connect Madrid via Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
and connect France via Irun
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
.
While the French high-speed rail line (on which the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
trains achieve their top speeds) is not planned to reach Hendaye
Hendaye
Hendaye is the most south-westerly town and commune in France, lying in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and located in the traditional province Lapurdi of the French Basque Country...
until 2020, the Hendaye-Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
track allows 160 km/h.
The network will also include a connection to the Navarrese Corridor, the high speed train
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
line projected between Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and the capital of Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
.
An agreement on 25 April 2006
April 2006 in rail transport
-April 1:April 1* – The new Greater Western and Thameslink train operating franchises commence, both operated by First Group.* – The London passenger rail services of Great Northern and Thameslink are merged under First Capital Connect in a new franchise that will continue for six years...
puts the section between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao under Spanish control (through Adif
Adif
Adif, an acronym of Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, is a Spanish state-owned company under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, charged with the management of most of Spain's railway infrastructure, that is the track, signalling and stations...
), and the section in Gipuzkoa province under Basque control.
It will be the costliest investment in the Basque Country.
The Spanish and the Basque Governments will pay 4,000 million euros.
The works started in 2006 and are projected to end in 2013–2015
2015 in rail transport
- Unknown date events : - Singapore Downtown MRT Line Phase 2 scheduled to open. - North South MRT Line 1 km extension scheduled to open. - East West MRT Line 14 km extension scheduled to open. - The Basque Y is scheduled to be finished by 2013-2015. - New City Link tracks project in...
.
Travel time comparisons
It will take well under one hour to connect the cities while the current slower network takes from 1 h 40 min to 2.5 hours.| Origin | Destination | Current minimum travel time by train | By bus | By car | Projected time on the Basque Y |
| Bilbao | Donostia-San Sebastián | 2 h 13 min | 1 h 10 min | 1 h | 38 min |
| Bilbao | Vitoria-Gasteiz | 2 h 20 min | 1 h | 45 min | 28 min |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | San Sebastián | 1 h 40 min | 1 h 30 min | 1 h 10 min | 34 min |
| Bilbao | Madrid | 4 h 50 min | 4 h 45 min | 4 h | 2 h 15 min |
Stations
- Bilbao-AbandoBilbao-AbandoEstación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...
- Vitoria-Dato
- IrúnIrunIrun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
- San Sebastián-Norte
- Ezkio-ItsasoEzkio-ItsasoEzkio-Itsaso is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, in northern Spain.It is a rural, idyllic place founded in 1965 by the fusion of the municipalities of Ezkio and Itsaso...
- Euba
Preparation
It took 15 years from the first proposals of a Basque high-speed network to the detailed project.The disagreements
Politics of Spain
The politics of Spain take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Head of State and the President of the Government is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is vested in the government...
between the series of Spanish and Basque governments and who would bear the costs were the main issues.
Through the Basque tax agreement the Spanish government will pay the advanced payment by the Basque government.
Benefits
It will ease mobility between the Basque capitals, in fact, travel times between BilbaoBilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Donostia-San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
will be cut in half. In addition, the Basque government is improving the existing EuskoTren
EuskoTren
EuskoTren is a commuter rail service which operates in the Basque Country provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos...
infrastructure between Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián, enabling a better connection between smaller towns and big cities.
The cargo traffic will remove lorries from the roads, the railway will connect the Port of Bilbao
Port of Bilbao
The Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao, in Biscay . The main facilities are in the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities, approximately 15 km west of Bilbao...
with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's major railway lines. The Basque Y be built in European rail gauge (1435 mm).
To reduce the environmental impact
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
, the layout avoids the natural areas of Aizkorri, Urkiola
Urkiola
Urkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in Biscay near Durango, in the western Basque Country, Spain. The range's highest mountain is Anboto...
and Aralar
Aralar Range
Aralar aran'+'larre', meaning 'valley field') is the Basque name for a mountain range, which broadly speaking separates the province of Gipuzkoa from Navarre in the North of Spain...
. The increase on the usage of railway, will reduce the usage of planes, more polluting than trains. In addition it will be more affordable than traveling by plane (very unusual for Spain, where general tarifs for the AVE service from Barcelona to Málaga cost €138.00 in "Turista" and €250.00 in "Club" class one way), and taking passengers to the very centre of cities, instead of the outskirts, where airports are usually located.
Criticism
It is not clear how important the connection to France is for the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The official Y
Y
Y is the twenty-fifth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet and represents either a vowel or a consonant in English.-Name:In Latin, Y was named Y Graeca "Greek Y". This was pronounced as I Graeca "Greek I", since Latin speakers had trouble pronouncing , which was not a native sound...
-shaped layout has been approved by the Basque Parliament
Basque Parliament
The Basque Parliament is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible....
, but criticised by Ezker Batua-Berdeak, a coalition of the Basque branch of United Left
United Left (Spain)
The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain...
and ecologists, part of the Basque Government
Basque Government
The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...
.
EB proposes an U
U
U is the twenty-first letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter U ultimately comes from the Semitic letter Waw by way of the letter Y. See the letter Y for details....
-shaped layout.
It has also been criticised by leftist Basque nationalists
Abertzale
Abertzale in the Basque language means "patriot", and it is mainly used to mean "Basque nationalist". It comes from the fusion of aberri with the suffix -zale .Although the term is synonym of "patriot", its common use...
and ecologists.
The Basque armed group ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
has the works as one of its targets. In December 2008, Ignacio Uría, the owner of a construction company working on the project, was shot dead by ETA and in February 2009 there was a bomb attack against Ferrovial
Ferrovial
Ferrovial, S.A. is a Spanish multinational company involved in the design, build, financing, operation and maintenance of transport, urban and services infrastructure. It is a publicly-traded company and is part of the IBEX 35 market value-weighted stock market index...
company (one of the companies that delivers components) in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
A demonstration against the train gathered thousands to Arrasate/Mondragón
Mondragón
Arrasate or Mondragón - is a town and municipality in Gipuzkoa province, Basque Country, Spain...
in December 2007.
External links
- Official website of the project.
- Information about the project on the Basque Governments Transportation department.
- Advertisement promoting the Basque Y.
- AHT Ez. Basque opposition to high-speed trains.