France hosts the first meeting of the public consultations for the reopening of Canfranc

French civil society and the actors involved in the reopening of the Canfranc are starting to move. The first meeting of the public consultation period for the completion of the remaining sections in France, one of the last obstacles to the return of the international line, will take place on Tuesday . The meeting, which will take place from 18:00 in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, will serve as the starting signal for several meetings that will extend over time until the end of the year. SNCF, the main railway operator in France, will thus present the project for the completion of the remaining 85 kilometres between Pau and the Somport tunnel. According to the French authorities, this will be completed by 2032.

The calendar includes further meetings in various locations in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on 3, 8, 17, 20 and 26 October. In November, meetings are scheduled for 14 and 19, as well as 10 and 16 December. This schedule will address, through talks and round tables, issues such as the provision of passenger and freight services, the socio-economic return for the area and the environmental impact. Since this summer, anonymous citizens, political representatives and associations have been able to make contributions via a transparency page. The deadline will close the day after the last meeting, on 20 December.

This portal already shows some of the objectives set by SNCF once the line becomes a reality. The intention is to have thirteen convoys known as TER (French regional trains that usually move within the same region) circulating every day on a round trip, three of them to Canfranc. In addition, the infrastructure could accommodate two long-distance trains on a round trip between Zaragoza and Pau, as well as allowing the passage of a tourist train. Regarding freight trains, the number could be around ten on a round trip.

For the time being, preliminary studies have started this September. In the near future, passenger demand, traffic forecasts and the limitations that the international route may present will be addressed in detail. At the same time, technical studies are underway, according to SNCF, and environmental, acoustic and socioeconomic studies will be left for later. These issues, on the other hand, will be dealt with in the consultations. However, the company expects the project to be declared as of “public utility” within two years, in 2026, and for work to start in 2027 with a horizon of 2032.

CONTACTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TUNNEL

Everything is on paper, although on the Spanish side the renovations on the section between the Aragonese capital and Canfranc have been constant in recent times. For example, the works between Ayerbe and the international station are still underway, although with delays, and could be completed by the end of the year. The same is true of the contacts between the authorities on both sides of the tunnel. Last July, the last bilateral meeting between the governments of Aragon and New Aquitaine took place, in which the leaders Jorge Azcón and Alain Russet participated, to sign a new collaboration agreement and urge the European Union to speed up the reopening.

As they recalled then, ADIF and the Spanish Government are carrying out works worth more than 200 million euros. Without going any further, the Ayerbe-Canfranc section has received 155.2 distributed in its three phases: Plascencia del Monte-Ayerbe (23.2, already completed), Ayerbe-Caldearenas (58) and Jaca-Canfranc (45.6). To this we must add the actions in terms of electrification and modernisation of the route, another 28.4. In France, it is estimated that the regeneration between Oloron and Bedous cost 105 for its implementation in 2016. In 2010 the same was done with the part from Pau to Oloron. Although they have been subjected to reform, they will have to be adapted again.