WRITTEN QUESTION E-0092/00 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. High-speed rail link between northern Portugal and Galicia.
Date: 2000-01-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, Northern Portugal, high-speed transport, regional development, trans-European network, transport infrastructure

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/81

(2000/C 330 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0088/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(26 January 2000)

Subject: Inclusion of Galicia in the trans-European high-speed rail networks during the 2000-2006 period

Is it true that the Spanish Government has submitted to the Commission a proposal for Galicia to be
included in the trans-European high-speed rail networks as part of the reform which is due to take place in
the current year (2000) and which has been announced by the Commissioner responsible for relations
with the European Parliament, transport and tourism as being scheduled for the current month of January?

(2000/C 330 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0092/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: High-speed rail link between northern Portugal and Galicia

(26 January 2000)

There have been repeated reports in the Galician media that moves are under way to investigate the
possibility of setting up a high-speed railway, following the decision taken by the Northern Portuguese
Regional Coordinating Committee and the Galician Government. The Union is providing 50 % of the
funding to cover the cost of the necessary study. However, according to the answer given by the Spanish
Government in the Congress of Deputies to the BNG (Galician Nationalist Bloc) spokesman, the plans
appear to be modest, since the intention is merely to build lines capable of carrying traffic moving no
faster than 160 km/h. This information is consistent with other statements by Portuguese government
spokesmen to the effect that the latter Government is proposing to relegate the La Coruæa to Setœbal high-
speed line to a marginal role, focusing exclusively instead on the Oporto to Lisbon line, which links up to
Madrid.

Can the Commission confirm the above points and, should they be correct, say why traffic between Galicia
and Portugal is to be restricted to such a slow speed? How soon might the work be completed, and when
is the railway (cid:129) so vital for the development of both frontier regions (cid:129) likely to come into operation?

(2000/C 330 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0093/00

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Investment in Galicia(cid:146)s railways during the 2000-2006 period

(26 January 2000)

The Spanish Government Minister Mariano Rajoy and the Galician Government Economics Adviser XosØ
Ant(cid:243)n Orza have publicly stated that the Spanish Government is to invest 150 000 million pesetas
(901,4 million euros) in Galicia(cid:146)s railways during the 2000-2006 period. Can the Commission confirm this
figure and state categorically that, as a result of such investment, Galicia will definitely be linked to the
trans-European high-speed rail network and that its internal network will also be modernised?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0088/00, E-0092/00 and E-0093/00
given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(13 March 2000)

At the current stage of the thought being given to the revision of the Community approach towards the
trans-European transport network (cid:129) Parliament and Council Decision No 1692/96/EC of 23 July 1996 (1),
the Commission has not been aware of any specific new high-speed projects in Spain. The amounts
mentioned by the Honourable Member have, in the main, been set aside for upgrading the conventional