Perthus Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Perthus Tunnel is a twin-bore railway tunnel between Perpignan
, France
and Figueres
, Spain
built as part of the high-speed railway line between Barcelona and Montpellier
under the Eastern Pyrenees
. The tunnel took five years to build and was completed on February 17, 2009. The tunnel was built by a private sector consortium TP Ferro under a fifty-year concession and has been designed to allow for freight as well as passenger traffic. It is 8.9 kilometres (5.5 mi) long.
The tunnel was opened for traffic on December 19, 2010. As of 2011, the line ends in Figueres. The section between Barcelona
and Figueres is now expected to open no earlier than 2012 as opposed to the original forecast of December 2008. As of now, the rail line ends in an open field. To compensate for this delay, TP Ferro's concession was extended by three years.
In France, the tunnel connects to the Perpignan-Villefranche
line. Formal design studies for a high-speed Perpignan-Montpellier
line to connect to the tunnel were launched in November 2009 by Réseau Ferré de France
.
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Figueres
Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors...
, 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...
built as part of the high-speed railway line between Barcelona and Montpellier
LGV Perpignan-Figueres
The LGV Perpignan–Figueres is an international high-speed rail line between France and Spain. The line connects two cities on opposite sides of the border, Perpignan in Roussillon, France, and Figueres in Catalonia, Spain. It consists of a line which crosses the French–Spanish border via the ...
under the Eastern Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. The tunnel took five years to build and was completed on February 17, 2009. The tunnel was built by a private sector consortium TP Ferro under a fifty-year concession and has been designed to allow for freight as well as passenger traffic. It is 8.9 kilometres (5.5 mi) long.
The tunnel was opened for traffic on December 19, 2010. As of 2011, the line ends in Figueres. The section between Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Figueres is now expected to open no earlier than 2012 as opposed to the original forecast of December 2008. As of now, the rail line ends in an open field. To compensate for this delay, TP Ferro's concession was extended by three years.
In France, the tunnel connects to the Perpignan-Villefranche
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Villefranche-de-Conflent is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in south of France.-The Capital of Conflent:The original town dates from 1098 and is fortified because of its strategic position in lands that changed hands between French and Spanish occupation.* 1374, Villefranche...
line. Formal design studies for a high-speed Perpignan-Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
line to connect to the tunnel were launched in November 2009 by Réseau Ferré de France
Réseau Ferré de France
Réseau Ferré de France , , owns and maintains the French national railway network. The trains are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to European Union Directive 91/440, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure.Unlike other...
.