WRITTEN QUESTION E-2880/00 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Plans for a high-speed rail link between Galicia and the EU heartland.
Date: 2000-09-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cohesion Fund, Spain, high-speed transport, trans-European network, transport infrastructure, transport lines

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/121

Their presence in Morocco is the consequence of private agreements concluded between Netherlands
enterprises and the Moroccan administration for which the Commission has no competence. The
Commission is therefore not in a position to intervene in these arrangements.

(2001/C 136 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2880/00

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

(14 September 2000)

Subject: Plans for a high-speed rail link between Galicia and the EU heartland

The Galician regional government has announced that an agreement will shortly be signed with the
Spanish central government to guarantee the construction over the period 2000-2007 of a high-speed rail
line linking Madrid (via Valladolid) to Galicia, entering the region at Orense and serving the cities of La
Coruæa, El Ferrol, Santiago, Lugo, Vigo and Pontevedra. The Valladolid junction would also link Galicia
with the line running from Madrid to the French frontier via the Basque Country. The information
provided to the media states that the new line will use the standard European wide gauge for high-speed
trains, although on some stretches the maximum possible speed will be only 200 kph, and that it is certain
to receive EU cofinancing from the Cohesion Fund.

Is the Commission aware of such an undertaking? Has it taken any decision, with the agreement of the
Spanish central government, on the application of investment from the Cohesion Fund to this rail link
between Galicia and the Union heartland? Can the Commission confirm from its side that on some of the
Galician stretches of this rail line the maximum possible speed will be no higher than 200 kph?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(31 October 2000)

The Commission was informed of the agreements between the central Spanish Government and the Xunta
de Galicia concerning infrastructures during its regular contacts with the authorities in the European
regions.

As part of the revision of the TEN guidelines planned for this year, the Commission is in contact with the
Spanish Government and will examine this matter in order to determine its impact on the trans-European
high-speed network.

The Commission has not received any requests for Cohesion Fund financing of the projects concerned.

Decision No 1692/96 of 23 July 1996 on Community guidelines for the trans-European transport network
lays down that the trans-European high-speed network (1) shall consist of the following lines, as set out in
Annex 1 to the Decision:

(cid:129) lines especially designed for high speed and equipped for speeds that are generally not less than

250 km/hour by means of current or new technologies;

(cid:129) lines especially configured for high speed, and equipped for speeds of roughly 200 km/hour;

(cid:129) lines especially configured for high speed and having specific characteristics as a result of the
topographical, relief or urban environment constraints, whose speed must be adjusted on a case-by-
case basis.

(1) OJ L 228, 9.9.1996.