WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3848/98 by Manuel ESCOLÁ HERNANDO Extra stop on the Madrid-Zaragoza high-speed rail link
Date: 1998-12-22
Institutions: ESCOLA HERNANDO, European Parliament
Subjects: Southern Europe, economic development, high-speed transport, profitability, rail network, rail transport, regional development, trans-European network













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91998E3848

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3848/98 by Manuel ESCOLÁ HERNANDO Extra stop on the Madrid-Zaragoza high-speed rail link  


Official Journal C 325 , 12/11/1999 P. 0033 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-3848/98by Manuel Escolá Hernando (ARE) to the Commission(22 December 1998)Subject: Extra stop on the Madrid-Zaragoza high-speed rail linkThe 14 priority trans-European transport network projects adopted at the Essen European Council include the construction of the southern European high-speed rail link between Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Perpignan and Montpellier.The construction of this link will reduce the journey time between Zaragoza and both Madrid and Barcelona from the current three and a half hours to a little over one hour and fifteen minutes, which will have the effect of bringing those cities considerably closer together.However, the project does not include the possibility of having trains stop at Calatayud, a city between Madrid and Zaragoza which is currently a major rail junction and whose future development potential could be reduced if it is not included as a stop on the high-speed rail link.In view of the fact that the high-speed rail route is due to pass fairly close to the centre of Calatayud, which is Aragon's fourth city in terms of size, population and importance, there have been calls from various quarters for the high-speed train to stop there.Does the Commission not think that it would be logical for, if not all, at least some of the high-speed trains which will pass through Calatayud each day to stop in the city?Would this not help to ensure that the European transport network (of which the Spanish high-speed rail link is part) also benefits people living in small or medium-sized cities which on many occasions are excluded from European projects?Does the Commission not think that proposals such as this one contribute to European regional planning by preventing depopulation and offering development opportunities to towns which may not otherwise have any?Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission(1 March 1999)The EC Treaty requires projects of common interest in the framework of the trans-European networks to be economically viable. In the case of the construction of new high-speed rail links, these projects can often reach competitivity only by reducing the travel time and stopovers between the main conurbations. The railway company has to calculate the economic viability of the project taking into account the potential market in terms of passengers between each stop. The Commission cannot influence the decision of the authorities in this respect.The Commission agrees, however, that small and medium-sized cities should also be able to gain the maximum benefit from the trans-European high-speed network and that complementary solutions are required in order to ensure accessibility for these cities too.